You're All I Need
by Mommyzilla
Summary: When it's right you know it. No matter what is going on around them Jason and Liz know where they need to be.
1. Chapter 1

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

Hi All! Happy New Year, hope everyone is doing well. This is going to be a shorter story but I hope you still like it.

As always I love hearing from you, if you wish to leave a review please be polite.

This is a work of fiction. Not everything in it is going to be true to real life. Even topics I've researched I may still alter to fit the story. If this bothers you then I'm not the author for you.

Thanks Liason102 for the edit! It always great working with you.

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Chapter 1

"What the hell?" Lucas looked up as the lights started to flicker and then went out.

"Language." Epiphany reprimanded the doctor arching a brow.

"Sorry." He replied sheepishly. It would be a very bad idea to get on Epiphany's bad side. Patrick pissed the head nurse off a few weeks back and she promptly removed Nurse Webber from his service. The neurosurgeon was still groveling.

Next to her boss Liz just smirked. Dr. Jones was new to the hospital and had been enthusiastically welcomed. Bobbie, his mother, had worked here for decades. Liz didn't work much with him though because Piph was doing her best to keep them separated for now. Carly, his sister, was not an Elizabeth Webber fan, and the siblings were pretty close. Until the head nurse knew Dr. Jones wasn't going to be a problem she was protecting her nurse.

The lights went from flickering to out. Almost immediately the emergency power switched on. However it wouldn't keep everything going. The life support and patient care machines were working. Some hall lights and room lights were on. Three ORs would have power, the same was true of two elevators. The emergency band was also up, but right now that was it. "Oh bother."

Piph looked at the best nurse on her staff and tried not to laugh. It wouldn't be good for her reputation. "I think you've been in pediatrics too long." Not only was Liz an outstanding surgical nurse, but she was amazing with the patients so Piph asked her to sometimes work the wards if they were short staffed. "You are quoting Winnie the Pooh."

"It fits though." Liz said grinning. "Plus peds has the best applesauce in the hospital. I swear they have a different brand then the adult rooms get."

Piph just grinned and shook her head.

"So what happens now?" Lucas wanted to know. He hadn't ever been here during any emergency situations.

"You try not to kill anyone." Piph said giving him a look. "Liz and I will be too busy running things to babysit you."

"Hopefully it will stay quiet." Lucas said looking around the ER. They had been seeing patients at a steady rate, but it wasn't what you would call busy. Since it was a Wednesday night, in the dead of summer, that wasn't surprising.

"It depends on how wide spread the outage is." Liz was hoping it was just part of the city and not all of it. Late last month Rochester went dark for almost a day and things got ugly.

Lucas nodded looking over at Nurse Webber. He hadn't been allowed to work with her on his own during his month here, but the staff all admired her. So did his mother. She was the granddaughter of legends in the medical community but didn't rest on those laurels. She worked hard. She had also been treated like crap by his sister when Carly lived here. Felix had filled him in on that over lunch.

"Why don't you go up and check in with the hubs on the wards." Piph told Liz. "Make sure everyone is doing what they should be." They were fully staffed, and if things went south a good many people who were already here would stay when the third shift arrived.

"I can do that." Liz wasn't expecting a crush of people to come into the ER right this minute. If the city went bonkers it would take a while before things got to that point. "I'll grab my cell phone. Want me to bring you yours?" She knew Piph's locker combination because the older woman trusted her completely.

"Yeah." That was why Piph liked working with Liz, she was smart. "Dr. Jones, go check on the patients that haven't gone upstairs yet." Piph told Lucas. At some point Monica would wander down. The Chief of Surgery was in the building. If they were lucky the Chief of Staff, Dr. Ford, would stay home.

* * *

Liz took the stairs despite the two working elevators. At this point they were for patient transport only. She also mentally thanked the universe for having the blackout happen at nine-thirty. Since visiting hours were over, dealing with freaked out relatives was not something she had to do. This was her second shift today and she had been looking forward to clocking out at ten. It wouldn't surprise her if she was asked to stay.

The nurses were doing exactly what that had been assigned at the beginning of the shift. No one slacked off because Piph always found out. Both cell phones were grabbed when Liz was on the sixth floor. On the eighth floor, after checking in with her colleagues, she went down the hall and knocked on a closed door before stepping into the quiet room.

Part of the emergency system was the single overhead light above each bed. That light was shining down on the occupant of this room. "I just wanted to check on you." Liz said standing beside her friend.

"I'm fine. Annoyed, but fine." Johnny O'Brien had been felled by a kidney stone. He kept saying everything was fine and then collapsed at the office. "Why couldn't this be on a night when Nadine was working?" He had been enjoying their flirting. "I could talk her into being bad and no one would notice."

Liz just shook her head as she straightened his blankets. "If you had admitted something was wrong, we could have treated you and right now you would be home. Where Nadine could be acting as your private nurse. But instead you had to be stubborn." Liz had been terrified when he was wheeled into the ER. They had been friends a really long time and she didn't want to lose him.

"Being ill has knocked me off my game. I never even considered that." Johnny had to admit. "I would feel bad if she postponed her vacation for me."

Liz didn't say anything but she knew Nadine would much rather be here. Especially if she could hang out with Johnny. Her fellow nurse only went home to visit her sister Jolene who was serving several life sentences for killing patients. This was an obligation visit, so putting it off would have been welcomed.

"Is the entire town dark?" Johnny had sent a text to Francis but so far his friend hadn't responded.

"From what I'm hearing, yes. My colleagues have been calling home and checking in. Everyone is reporting that their spouses, kids, and friends are sitting in the dark." Liz was hoping that this was quick fix. Although she had to be honest in that she had no idea how you turned an entire city back on. "I'm guessing we over worked the system." It had been hot this summer.

"Floyd promised to update everything in his last campaign. I knew he was lying which is why I voted for Reese Marshall. Only she didn't win." Johnny knew their current mayor only won because of friends in high places. Friends like Edward Quartermaine and Malcolm Barrington. Those two men were bigger criminals than the mobsters could ever hope to be.

"So Reese was being honest?" Liz wanted to know.

"She was lying too." Johnny replied with a smirk. "But she was lying less than he was. Are you staying here?" He didn't like the thought of her walking home in the dark, even with protection. Situations like this had people losing their common sense real quick. Even after she got home she would be sitting in her apartment in the dark.

"Emergency protocol says all essential personnel should be reporting to the hospital. However they aren't going to want us all sitting around if we aren't needed. Whether or not I stay will probably depend on who shows up." Liz explained how this was going to work. "And how out of control the city gets."

"If you leave come see me first. Please." He remembered to add. If she was getting cut he was going to send her to his apartment. The Towers would be secure. If Jason was back he would just send her to the penthouse. His friends had been dating for a couple of months now, but it was just too dangerous to make that public. Johnny knew that Liz hadn't ever stayed over at the Towers. He was guessing if they had that much time alone nature would have no problem taking its course. He wanted a godchild to spoil.

"I can do that. Are you going to be okay?" Liz was worried about him too. He had enemies and this situation might be leaving him vulnerable.

"I'm fine." Johnny wasn't allowed to have a guard. Dr. Ford wouldn't agree to it, but they had ways around him. "Scram before you get into trouble for hanging out with the patients. The staff loves to gossip."

"Please." Liz replied laughing. "If someone said anything it would be because they are trying to eliminate what they think is competition." The female nursing staff, and yeah some of the guys too, had noticed Johnny's good looks. "Text me if you need anything."

Johnny nodded and after she left waited impatiently for Francis to call.

* * *

Corelli was doing some impatient waiting of his own. He had called Johnny and gave his friend an update right after that waiting started. Francis wasn't in his office, or in his apartment. He was standing by the elevator in the parking garage of the Harbor View Towers high rise. Looking at his watch he saw that two minutes had passed since he last checked it. Then he told himself to not check the time piece again. "A watched pot doesn't boil." He muttered to no one else, since he was down here alone.

A pair of headlights splashed across the wall of the garage as a large company car turned onto the private level. Francis knew that since he hadn't gotten a call that things were either fine; or they had gone to shit and his friends couldn't report in. Seeing the cars had his blood pressure dropping. The caravan of three vehicles parked and that had him moving from where he was standing. He opened the passenger side door of the lead car and helped his girlfriend out.

"We're fine." Diane said before he could speak hoping to make him believe that. Or herself, she wasn't sure.

"What happened?" Francis asked his boss who was getting out from behind the wheel. Diane's hand was trembling.

"People are taking advantage of the blackout." Jason said shaking his head.

They had finished up their business in New York earlier than expected. Instead of needing two days it only took one long day of meetings. He left the choice of whether to stay in the city, or return home to his attorney. Diane picked home so he called the plane.

They were in the air, about thirty minutes or so from Port Charles, when they learned about the power outage. The co-pilot came out of the cockpit to announce they were being rerouted to Rochester because there were no landing lights at the private airstrip they normally used. By the time the plane touched down cars were waiting and they started home with their escort. He drove Diane, and the guys flanked them. "People are shooting at each other. We heard the gunshots while driving in. There are at least a couple of fires going based on the glow in the sky. We listened to the local news on the drive, they are reporting looting and public disturbances." Which more than likely meant fights in the street possibly between rival neighborhoods.

Port Charles didn't have a serious gang problem, but that wasn't because of the cops. It was because of the mobsters. Kids running around jacking up the crime rate would be a major headache for them. What Jason didn't know was what things were happening in Port Charles and what was happening in Crimson Pointe.

"All of our holdings are locked down." Francis told his boss as he urged Diane closer.

Jason nodded and then waged a brief internal struggle. There were two things he wanted to know right away. His heart wanted to ask one question, but his brain insisted the other was more important. With a forceful exhale from his nose he spoke. "Have you found Sonny?"

"No." Francis watched Jason's mental debate. While it might suck, the younger of his two bosses had asked the right question first. Unfortunately there was nothing to report. Sonny should be at home, but Greystone was empty. The guards didn't know where he was. In fact they hadn't even realized he left. When things settled down some retraining was happening. With Corinthos Morgan having issues with another family, Sonny should not be out without security. "He's not answering his phone."

"I'm really hoping he isn't about to do something stupid. I will not protect him from Maximus if that is the case." Jason shook his head. Things were dangerously unstable at the moment. Sonny trying to be macho could push them into a war. Jason had spent part of his day in New York with Maximus's enforcer discussing this very topic.

Shawn had known Sonny for years. He knew the Cuban mob boss tended to act before thinking. Sonny's ego was massive. Jason had hoped that it was a symptom of the bi-polar, but that proved to not be true. That ego almost cost Michael his life, and Sonny had been riding the edge of spinning out of control ever since. Jason didn't blame him, he was pissed too. But he had enough sense to not go off half-cocked. Sonny however had something to prove and one wrong move could cost a lot of good men their lives.

"Call the guys back." Jason said making a decision. "Right now things are too dangerous for them to be out there." With the police on alert he didn't want any of his guys in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Sonny is on his own for now."

Francis nodded and sent out a text. "That was the right call." Cutting Sonny loose ensured that he didn't drag Jason down with him if the Don got pissed. Maximus told everyone to stand down while Palermo investigated the shooting. That was why Shawn was in the country, to look into the matter. If Sonny didn't listen then whatever the punishment was he would face it alone.

Jason just nodded. He wanted Sonny to not be stupid for very selfish reasons. The blonde didn't want to run things on his own. However this whole situation was showing him that he needed to step up. Sonny needed someone who could check him if necessary, as his partner that was Jason. "Where is Elizabeth?" This was the question his heart needed answered.

"The hospital." Francis said as they went to the elevator. Standing by the car had been fine because on this private level the wall that faced the street went from floor to ceiling. "I'm locking you down." Francis told his friend and they boarded the elevator.

Jason frowned but nodded. With his partner missing they needed to make sure one of their bosses stayed safe. "Elizabeth was working a double. They are going to want her to leave, so if they start cutting staff she'll be in the first wave. I planned on going to get her since I'm home."

"It's handled." Francis wasn't going to let anything happen to Liz. She was family, and that had nothing to do with Jason.

"Johnny?" Jason was expecting to hear that O'Brien had snuck out of the hospital. The stone had been removed earlier in the day. Jason called at lunch to check in and make sure everything went okay. Since they didn't cut you open anymore a patient could conceivably leave the same day.

"The hospital." Francis passed along as they changed elevators. "He is planning on sneaking out if Liz leaves. If she isn't sent home he'll stay until she is." He couldn't really do much, but just being there made him feel better. "I sent company." Visiting hours didn't mean much to them.

Jason nodded. The first floor that the private elevator they were on could stop at was one of two penthouse levels. Penthouses one and three were on the nineteenth floor, while two and four were on the twentieth. Johnny and Cody lived in the first two, while Jason lived on the top floor across the hall from his friends. The doors opened and Cody grinned at them. "Welcome back." He was going to Jason's for a briefing.

"Thanks." Jason was wondering if he was going to get any sleep tonight. They continued up and the doors opened again. "Take your time." He told his friend as they stepped off the elevator. Francis would want to get Diane settled.

"Go with Jason." Diane gave her guy a quick kiss. While the ride over had stretched her nerves thin she was fine now. The guys needed to talk. "I'm okay." She promised. "I need to file some papers anyway." Work would relax her so she could sleep.

Francis wasn't going to push. Hopefully once he went home then he could stay there for a while and focus on his girlfriend. The guys watched while she went inside and then headed to penthouse four where Jason lived. Both units were the same size, with five bedrooms and even more bathrooms. The only difference was that the floor plans were reversed. And that penthouse two had more furniture.

"Help yourself to something to drink." Jason said heading for the stairs. He wanted to get out of his suit. "I'll be right back down." Once the meeting was done he would call over to the hospital and see if Elizabeth was still there. It sucked but at the moment business had to come first.

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	2. Chapter 2

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 2

"Why is Nurse Webber still here?" Dr. Ford wanted to know. "She worked a double today, and overtime is not happening." He was all about the bottom line. It was a marked difference from the past two Chiefs of Staff. Steve and Alan had been more about patient care. Russell explained, when he took over, that they wouldn't be able to treat anyone if they went out of business. So he had cracked down hard and now everyone pretty much hated him.

"Not all of the overnight staff made it in." Monica hadn't bothered to go home. She was hoping that by staying it would keep her boss away. While a good many members of the staff didn't like her, they hated Russell more. The night was stressful enough already. Clearly that didn't work.

"We aren't very busy." He looked around the ER. All the bays were filled, but there weren't a lot of people waiting to be seen.

"That is probably going to change." Monica told him. They were monitoring the emergency band closely. The city was sliding into mayhem. At the moment the police were keeping it from getting totally out of hand, but she expected the number of patients to go up the later it got.

"I'm not paying someone for a probably." Russell looked at his second in command.

"It's almost midnight, it may not be safe for her to leave at this point." Monica knew that Liz didn't own a car. Getting a cab tonight wasn't going to happen.

"I'm not paying her because she might have trouble getting home. I got in just fine. I'm sure that she will be fine as well." Especially considering who her friends were. He wasn't changing his mind. "She can sleep in the on call room and go home when the sun comes up if she is worried." He looked over the ER. "Tell her to clock out. Her shift is over."

"Yes sir." Monica watched him walk away. While she missed Alan as a husband, she also missed him as a boss. Some days more than others. Russell was going to destroy the hospital if he stayed in his current position for very long. She walked over to the bay where Elizabeth was working. The nurse was peeling off gloves having just sent a patient upstairs. "Elizabeth, Dr. Ford said you need to go home."

Liz just nodded. She didn't say anything though. The two women didn't talk to one another unless absolutely necessary. Working on Monica's service never happened at all.

The Chief of Surgery had blamed her husband's death on Jason. It wasn't his fault a nutjob had held the Metro Court hostage one night when a black tie function for the hospital was going on. The man wanted something from the vault. Liz wasn't sure what Monica had expected Jason to do. Did she think he was going to storm the lobby guns blazing? That would have gotten people killed on the spot. She had screamed at him that he should have done something. That he was there for everyone but his family. She screamed that if Sonny had been in attendance then Jason would have found a way to end the hostage crisis. Her youngest son didn't say anything, not even when she barred him from his father's hospital room.

Liz had watched the news coverage from her couch praying for everyone's safety. She had friends in the hotel and wanted them to come out unharmed. What she didn't do was call Jason because he was working with the guys to see if there was anything they could do to help. The hospital needed her so she went in, and was there when Alan arrived. She witnessed Monica's meltdown firsthand. Liz had been the one to track Jason down when it was done. They just sat quietly on the roof because there wasn't anything she could say to make the situation better.

Alan wasn't the only person to die that night, and Monica never even stopped to consider how his father's death affected Jason. It was his second major loss that year because Emily died from cancer a few months prior. What Dr. Quartermaine had done was the unthinkable. She banned him from the funeral. Jason wasn't afforded the opportunity to say goodbye for a second time. He had gone to the cemetery anyway and stood at a distance to watch the graveside portion of the service. Liz was right beside him holding his hand in hers the entire time.

Monica finally realized she was wrong last year. By then Jason wasn't in a place where he wanted to hear her excuses. So Dr. Quartermaine tried to use Liz's friendship with her son to broker peace. When Elizabeth said she wasn't asking Jason to forgive her the older woman's attitude turned frosty. They never really had a personal relationship, and their professional relationship was tanked in the aftermath of that conversation. To avoid a hostile workplace complaint human resources promised Liz she didn't ever have to work directly with the Chief of Surgery.

Message delivered Monica walked away.

"Brrr." Felix said being cheeky. "Girl, you throw good shade. I'm so proud. Clearly I'm rubbing off on you." He wiped away an imaginary tear.

Liz was fighting a grin and losing. She loved working with Felix. "She's earned it."

"You'll get no complaints from me." Felix thought Monica needed to grovel more. What she had done was wrong on every level. "Did you get to work with Dr. Delish today?"

"Nope, but I did get to see him." Liz made notations in the patient chart. After this she would log out knowing Dr. Ford was going to check the time. The evil angel on her shoulder wanted her to drag her feet and get Monica in trouble, but Liz was going to resist that urge. "Piph is still keeping us apart."

"He's actually really nice. The bitch gene seems to have skipped him." Felix was not a Carly fan when she lived here. Bobbie he didn't know.

"Honestly he seems really nice." Liz said with a shrug. "The behavior of his sister isn't on him. I do agree he has shown none of the Spencer attitude." That whole family was a piece of work. The only decent one before Lucas showed up was Lulu and that was because she had been raised away from Port Charles by her grandmother. The son, Lucky, thought he was a gift to women everywhere. Liz had almost laughed herself silly the one time he hit on her. The mother was catatonic in Shadybrook, and the dad was a dirty old man who made her skin crawl. She avoided him as much as possible. "Could be because he was raised by Bobbie's ex."

"The man had an affair with his stepdaughter, and he is deemed the better parent." Felix said pursing his lips. "Not gonna touch that one. I will however touch Dr. Delish, repeatedly, given the chance."

Liz just laughed. "Good luck. I think Brad is interested as well."

"I thrive with competition." Felix said with a bright smile. "Besides, I'm much better looking."

"That you are." Liz said logging out. "I guess I'll go home."

"You should stay in the on call room." Felix replied frowning. "I barely made it in. Even with the arm candy you'll have, it's not safe out there." There was no way one of the mob guys wouldn't come get his friend, still he didn't hide his worry.

"I can't sleep in that room. It's too public." Liz said shaking her head. "I need to go check on Johnny before I go. Maybe I'll sack out in his sleep chair." She was tiny and it wouldn't be too tight a fit.

"Dr. Ford will probably charge you for using a clean blanket and pillow." Felix said with a lot of snark. He was not a fan of his boss.

"Probably." Liz said heading for the stairwell. "Will you please tell Piph I got kicked out?"

"Will do. Be careful." Felix said being serious.

"I promise." Liz replied before heading up to see Johnny.

* * *

"Why does this not surprise me?" Liz asked shaking her head. Johnny wasn't in bed where he should be. Instead he was dressed and sitting at the small table in his room. With him were Max, Renaldo, and Milo. "Visiting hours are over. One of you can hide in the bathroom when the nurse comes to do her check, but all three of you won't fit." They weren't small guys.

"We don't have time for rules. Not that I'm staying." Johnny said with a grin.

"Your non-existent medical degree let you make that judgement call?" Liz asked with a healthy dose of sarcasm. At the table the guys were all grinning.

"I was unhooked from my IV right after dinner. So they are done pumping stuff into me, and our doc is on call if I need anything. You come up here to say they are sending you home?" Johnny wasn't staying if she was leaving.

"I have indeed been cut." Liz leaned against the wall. She was tired. At least with the guys here she wouldn't have to walk home.

"Do you have spare clothes in your locker?" Johnny asked her slowly getting to his feet. He was sore, but it wasn't too bad.

"Yeah, why?" She asked narrowing her eyes.

"Because you aren't going home." Johnny didn't even bother to ask.

"My place is secure, you guys made sure of it." Liz hadn't argued when the upgrades were made to her unit. They wanted everything, but the guard, in place when she and Jason went public.

"We did." Johnny wasn't going to bother trying to persuade her to listen. Liz could be bulldog stubborn. The truth was her place was as secure as they could make it. However the Towers was simply safer in this situation. "There are things going on, it would be best if Jason didn't have to worry about you."

"Jason always worries about me." Liz said with a smile. He didn't hide how much he cared for her. "You can tell him I'm fine. Tomorrow when he comes home he can check himself." She liked Johnny but she didn't want to stay at his place or with Francis.

"He is home." Johnny said ending the discussion. "Go get your stuff. We'll wait and all leave together."

"I don't work for you." Liz said to be stubborn. The guys could be pushy. It was a byproduct of their job. They were used to giving orders and having them followed without question. That didn't fly with her. She rarely gave them lip as long as they respected her.

"Please go get your things." Johnny reworked the sentence with a grin. She was going to keep Jason on his toes. In a good way. Liz was stronger than most people suspected. She wouldn't bow down to Jason like past girlfriends did, at the same time she wouldn't constantly be sticking her nose in the business. Liz had her own life and identity.

From him Liz would demand that Jason step up and be a man. The blonde mob boss wasn't going to get away with drifting through this relationship like he did with others. She expected him to be present and an active participant. That meant talking daily, making decisions together, and standing his ground when necessary. No running and no bailing. They were going to have an adult relationship. Johnny was hoping to have one soon too.

His friends almost had a chance to be in a relationship a couple of years ago but the timing didn't work out. While Francis had been frustrated at that development, Johnny thought it was for the best. They both still had some growing up to do. The universe knew when it was right to bring them together.

"I'll be right back." She said heading to the stairwell. Before she stepped inside she got out her phone. Being with patients nonstop for the last hour meant she hadn't checked her messages in a while. Sure enough there was one from Jason saying he was back in Port Charles. The device was on office mode which meant it wasn't even vibrating. The thought of seeing him had her smiling. It had been a few days with them both being busy, but they had talked each night to stay connected.

At her locker she grabbed her spare set of clothing and her toiletries. Tomorrow she could run over to her place and get more things if it was necessary. Not because of the power outage. Liz had heard Johnny loud and clear, something else was going on. That might keep her at the penthouse. Jason had already shared that the Zacchara family, namely Anthony, was trying to provoke Sonny. It was working too. Making matters worse the daughter, Claudia, had arrived in late spring and immediately tried to get Jason's attention which didn't work. Then she tried to get in Elizabeth's face after seeing them talking. That netted the Italian brunette a black eye. Like her father Claudia was on Jason's shit list too. She was gone now, which was for the best.

If asked Liz would say that the main issue was Sonny. Since Michael's shooting in June the older man had been all about revenge. She got it, if she had a child and someone went after them she wouldn't stop until that person was a memory. The problem was that Sonny didn't think about how his actions hurt others. He also wasn't accepting responsibility for the fact that he was the one who put his son in harm's way in the first place. Kate was dead, and Michael was in therapy to regain his life. All because Sonny was mouthing off trying to prove his balls were bigger than Anthony's. There was probably more to the situation, Liz knew that just like she knew without having to be told that her boyfriend's partner had been the starting point for all this chaos.

Walking down the hall the door to the stairwell opened before she reached it. That the guys wouldn't have waited upstairs wasn't surprising. "They aren't going to let you be a patient here if you keep sneaking out." Liz told Johnny. It was a common problem with the mob guys.

"Sonny gives a lot of money every year in Robin's and Stone's memories. They aren't going to jeopardize that cash flow." Johnny just grinned.

"Where's Milo?" Liz asked noting they were a person short.

"He went ahead." Johnny let her know. They made it down to the garage without passing anyone else. He was guessing that the staff had been told to not leave their assigned floors unless necessary. Max nodded indicating that his brother said the coast was clear. In fact when they opened the door the SUV was right there waiting. Everyone piled in and the guys let go of the collective breath they were holding. In the armor plated vehicle they were secure.

"I'll send a message to Jason and Francis letting them know we are on our way." Renaldo told Johnny.

The Irishman nodded. Once they were back at the Towers he would put his feet up and rest so that tomorrow he could help out. While he wasn't up to much, he could sit behind his desk and give orders if necessary. They all had to do their part because Johnny's gut was telling him that Sonny was in way over his head.

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	3. Chapter 3

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 3

Liz smiled at the guard who opened the door for her. The fact that there was someone standing post spoke volumes. Jason didn't normally have a security detail, it was something that irritated Francis. Their friend wasn't quiet about that either. "Hi." Her guy was standing by the pool table. While she watched he put down his cue and walked over.

"Hi." Jason was smiling by the time he reached her. She always did that for him. Whenever they were together he always felt a sense of peace. It wasn't something he had been looking for in a girlfriend, but he got why it was important. She gave him a place where he didn't have to constantly live up to his reputation. If he wanted to hang out at the house in sweats she was good with that. For the first time he was with a woman who was attracted to the man he was and not what he did.

"Hi." Liz leaned up and kissed him. "I'm glad you are home." They weren't planning on meeting up until later in the week, but she liked knowing he was close by. She swore she could feel the moment he left for New York.

"I'm glad I'm home too." Jason wrapped his arms around his girl and urged her forward so the small space between them was erased. He was hoping to figure out a way for them to bump into one another before they were planning to meet. They were known to be friends, to see them talking in the park wouldn't be that surprising. A casual friendship would not turn her into a target. A romantic relationship did. Still he didn't want to give her up, and she felt the same. "Especially since the city is plunging into chaos. I wouldn't have liked the thought of you home alone during this." It had already made the statewide news.

"I was hoping to stay at the hospital. Dr. Ford sent your mother over to tell me I had to go." Liz said trying not to roll her eyes. "Then Johnny told me I was staying at the Towers, for which I gave him attitude." Her friend wouldn't have ratted her out, but Liz didn't keep secrets from Jason. "I didn't want to sleep in his place, and I knew if I didn't then I would have probably ended up at Frannie's place."

"You could have stayed here." Jason told her. She had unrestricted access to the penthouse even if he wasn't home.

"That would have felt odd." Liz moved out of his arms so she could put her bag down. Being that close to Jason had her whole body on alert. It was so complex the way he made her feel. Sometime she felt like she was being taken under by a huge wave that left her disoriented in its wake. At the same time she felt like everything finally made sense. Like she was right where she should be. "I've never stayed over and the first time I would want you here."

Liz and Nadine had a running gag between them. They both liked to say they were card carrying members of the ninety day club. They didn't sleep with a guy they were dating until the relationship hit the three month mark. If the person they were seeing was just in it for sex, he wasn't going to want to wait that long. Not when there were other women out there willing to move faster. Liz had told Jason when they first started dating she wasn't rushing into his bed. He never went back on his promise that he respected that.

"Now you don't have to worry about feeling strange." Jason didn't move from the spot he was standing in. He was still trying to get his body to relax. Having her so close had left him hard. It was common occurrence any time he touched her. He wanted Elizabeth, she knew that. Just like he knew that he had an effect on her when they were close. However she said she needed time, and he would give it to her. What made it easier to bear was that he liked talking to Elizabeth. She was smart, funny, and informed about the world around her. They also had things in common. Which meant they had plenty they could do out of bed. For the first time he felt like he was dating an equal. "I'm here."

"Yeah, you are." Liz smiled at him. She was pretty sure that she was going to be staying in Jason's room tonight. With him. She was also almost one hundred percent positive they wouldn't just be sleeping. They had been dating sixty-four days, and it looked like the wait was over. Her decision was helped by knowing that if all she wanted to do was sleep then Jason would respect that. For the first time she felt like the man she was going to share her body with, was just that. A man.

With his body back under control Jason walked over to where she was standing. Her big blue eyes showed everything she was feeling. He could see that she was nervous, but not afraid. When she bit her lower lip he almost groaned out loud. He had no idea why that motion made him so hot, yet whenever she did it he couldn't look away if he wanted to. "I'll take your bag upstairs. I thought we'd play some pool so you could relax before we turn in."

"That would be nice." Liz responded smiling. She was nervous, the first time you slept with someone there were a lot of things that could go wrong. Being tense would ensure things were not enjoyable. Liz was hoping to do better in the sex department this go round, namely because it had to be better then what she had experienced. Otherwise folks wouldn't kill for it.

She wasn't going to bring her college boyfriend into this line of thought. They had both been new to sex so him having trouble making her climax was understandable. It was the next two guys that made Liz question whether or not there was something wrong with her physically because those fireworks she had been expecting weren't showing up.

After breaking up with her last guy Liz had gone to talk to Kelly. They did an exam, which didn't show any physical abnormalities. So the ob/gyn told Liz to go home and have fun with the shower head. Yes Kelly was laughing when she said it. Then to report back. Liz had no problems on her own, so Kelly declared her fit. Then the doctor got serious and pulled out some science saying that some women didn't climax during intercourse, or with a partner. She suspected Liz had selfish lovers, because if you were with the right guy they made sure you crossed the finish line. One way or the other. Liz was thinking Jason to show her what the fuss was about.

"Where would you like to stay?" Jason was going to give her a choice. "I have a really nice guest room, or you can stay in my room. With me." He had no intention of sleeping on the couch. Even without sex he wanted to experience a night with her in his arms.

"I'd like to stay in your room. With you." Liz said smiling slowly. She got what he did there and appreciated it. Also for some reason Liz was thinking that he wanted to give a choice now because he planned on being in charge in the bedroom. Not dominate per se, but that he liked to make the first move.

"Good." Jason smiled wide. "I understand the word no." He said keeping his eyes on her. "I need you to know that you'll be safe with me." It wasn't really something that Jason had given much thought to, what it meant for a woman to join him in his room until one night he found Elizabeth crying on the docks. She couldn't give him details but she had been in the ER when a young rape victim had been brought in. Somethings that happen at the hospital were harder for her to shake then others, this was one. They weren't dating at that point, but the attraction was starting to make itself know.

The talk they had that night made him reevaluate how he interacted with women. He'd never forced himself on a woman, but he also wanted to make sure they understood he respected them. With Elizabeth that need was even more pressing. Scaring her was not something he ever wanted to do.

"Thank you, I never worry about you hurting me." Liz wanted him to know. "I'll come up with you because I'd like to shower. Normally I get clean before I leave work, but the guys were waiting." She was ready to ditch the scrubs. She was also applauding her good choice of wearing the jeans that made her butt look good into work.

He held out his hand and took her upstairs. In the countless times she had been over Elizabeth hadn't ever been upstairs. Like downstairs there wasn't a lot of furniture. A massive bed with a matching nightstand on each side were the only pieces in the room. Even what would be the seating area in front of the fireplace was empty. He was actually blushing when she looked at him.

"I keep telling myself to go to the store and get more furniture." He knew the place was empty. Having her over was why he finally got a table for the kitchen. Normally he just ate at the coffee table or on the terrace in nice weather. The outdoor patio space had furniture on it when he moved in.

"I like your place." Liz wasn't going to let him put himself down. "You have everything that's necessary."

"Let me get you a towel." Jason put down her bag and went into the bathroom. "Anything you need should be in here. Do you have a toothbrush?"

"Yeah, I grabbed mine." Liz looked in the supply closet. "You shop in bulk?" She asked trying not to laugh. The man had enough soap for the next three years.

"I ordered from the company we get the soap and toilet paper for the bathrooms of the businesses we own." Jason gave her a boyish grin. "They even deliver."

She gave up and laughed. "I like the way you smell." He blushed again. He didn't wear cologne so the light scent was a mixture of the soap and his natural scent. "So there will be no complaining from me."

"Good to know." Jason grabbed a towel and handed it over. "I'll be downstairs when you're done. Have you eaten?"

"I got a dinner break." Liz let him know.

"Okay." Jason leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss. "Come down when you're ready."

Liz just nodded and when he closed the door she gave a small giggle. "I'm so done." She said walking over to the shower and setting the water.

* * *

On the other side of the door Jason was grinning wide. "Stick a fork in me." He had no idea he was echoing his girlfriend's thoughts. He would go downstairs and get an update while he waited for her to join him.

* * *

"Can you talk about it?" Liz was standing in the doorway that led to the terrace. Jason was standing by the cement railing looking down on the street below. Noise wouldn't reach this high up, but normally you could see the cars and such. With no lights in the city he would be looking into darkness. Something was wrong. She could tell by the set of his shoulders.

"We don't know where Sonny is." Jason turned to face her. "I'm worried he is about to start a war."

Liz walked over until she was standing in front of him. "Say it." Her eyes were on his. "You're safe with me Jason, and you can say it."

"I'm worried that Sonny is not going to come out of this alive." Jason didn't want it to come that. Since Michael had been shot things between the friends had been tense. So tense that Jason was considering dissolving their partnership once this was over. Having Elizabeth in his life meant he didn't want to be running around shooting at people. He wanted things to be stable so he could take her out on dates. Sonny threatened that, he threatened the life Jason wanted for himself. "Maximus sent his enforcer to straighten this situation out. Shawn has been told to make sure this will not be an issue going forward, and he will eliminate whoever he has to, to fulfill his orders."

"Are you in danger?" Liz could care less about Sonny.

"No." Jason shook his head. "Just because we are partners doesn't mean we are automatically lumped together. Shawn is very good at what he does and he was looking into this before we had our meeting. He knows this started with Sonny and Anthony. Shawn also knows they are the ones who are fanning the flames. Claudia wasn't helping things, but, she's no longer an issue." Maximus had someone meet her plane when it landed. She hadn't been seen since.

"What can I do for you?" Liz wanted to know.

"Can you take some time off from the hospital?" Jason wouldn't normally interfere in her day to day life unless he had to. "I want to give you a guard and they can't go to work with you." Which meant Dr. Ford needed to go. If she wanted to be at the hospital then Jason was going to make that happen.

"I'm off for the next two days anyway. If you need more time, I'll put in for emergency leave. If I don't get it, I'll quit." Liz was placing her trust in him without hesitation. She had been considering going for a nurse practitioner certification, if she left the hospital she could go to school before returning to work.

"I'll try to see to it that it doesn't come to that." Jason told his girlfriend. "Once we take this step, going public, we can't go back."

"I'm ready for that." Liz assured him. "All in." She said using the poker term.

"Thank you." Jason said leaning forward and taking her mouth in deep kiss. "I love you Elizabeth." He wanted her to say those words to her before they went up to his room. He was pretty sure she already knew, but he wanted there to be no doubt.

Her smile was bright enough to light up the city. "I love you too." She had just been waiting for the right time to tell him. She tried to show him when they were together, but having the freedom to voice it was everything. "Let's play some pool and then go to bed." He needed to relax.

"Okay." Jason was grateful for her love, but even more so for her acceptance.

"Can I borrow a shirt when we get upstairs? I don't have any pajamas." She said racking the balls. "You can break." Her grin was a bit wicked because there was no way he could concentrate now.

"I won." Liz said putting down her pool cue. It wasn't that surprising because she'd beaten him before. Liz could hold her own in the game. Also he was distracted. Some of it was the situation with his former best friend, and current partner. Most of it was her.

"You did." Jason had spent more time watching his girlfriend than paying attention to the game. When they played each other he had to concentrate because she was really good. If you gave her an opening, which he did, she would bury you. "Would you like to play again?"

"No. I think I'd like to go to bed now." Liz said putting her cue stick away. "How does that sound?"

"I'm ready to go upstairs." Jason walked over to his front door and flipped the deadbolt. "I have to leave my phone on."

"If you have to go I'll understand." Liz let him know. "There will be nights where I have to leave for an emergency surgery." She held out her hand. Neither one of them worked traditional hours. "Let's go to bed and put the day behind us."

He linked their fingers and led the way to his room.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

Not Safe For Work

* * *

Chapter 4

Upstairs Elizabeth told herself to relax. She hadn't shared her issues with her prior boyfriends with Jason, and standing here next to the bed Liz was second guessing that decision. Kelly was positive it was the guys, and Elizabeth was positive that things with Jason were going to be incredible. Still she couldn't help but worry about his reaction if she didn't finish. While these thoughts were going through her head another voice was telling her to trust in what she had with her guy. Being tense would wreck things before they even got started.

Standing behind his girl Jason could tell she was tense. Instead of asking her what was wrong, he just gave her some space to decide how to work the issue out. Elizabeth didn't need him riding to the rescue to fix things for her. If she wanted his help she asked for it. When she didn't he respected that meant she could handle it on her own. Which was most of the time.

He was pretty sure what had her tensing up was the fact that they were in his bedroom together. She was nervous. If he was going to be perfectly honest he was too. Sex wasn't something he gave a lot of thought to. Especially within a relationship, which sounded really horrible. Taking whoever he was dating to bed was the natural progression of things. Whether or not things went well wasn't something he was overly concerned about. With Elizabeth everything had to be perfect.

When her shoulders relaxed Jason moved closer. He put his arms around her waist and placed a soft kiss on the back of neck which made her shiver. "I'm really glad you are here with me right now." He wanted her to know that. Communication was one of the hallmarks of their relationship and that had to extend to the bedroom.

Liz leaned back against her guy and looked up at him. "I'm glad to be here." He was warm and that helped her relax even further. "Thank you for not rushing me."

"That won't ever happen." Jason said kissing the side of her neck this time. "I want you to always look forward to us being together." Even after tonight he wouldn't assume he could have access to her body whenever he wanted it.

Liz turned and smiled at him. "I don't think that's going to be a problem." Stretching up she brought her lips to his. "I'm actually feeling rather impatient." She said pulling back and tugging his shirt from the waistband of his pants.

"Is that right?" Jason mirrored her action because he was more than ready to feel her skin against his. "I can honestly say that I know how you feel." He let his hands move up so he could push the strap of the bra aside and let his lips caress her shoulder. He repeated the motion on the opposite shoulder and a shiver ran through her entire body.

The soft material of the cami she put on after her shower slid down until it was pooled around her waist, and her sexy boyfriend turned his attention to the clasp of her bra. Before he could remove the lace she pushed up his shirt until he took over and removed the black cotton. It was tossed aside as Elizabeth ran her hand up his torso. She had seen him shirtless before, at the pool downstairs, but she still took some time to show her appreciation.

He took a moment to enjoy her hand on his body before he helped her out of her bra. "You are so beautiful." Jason told her in a husky whisper looking at her breasts for the first time. "Do you know that? Do you know that when you walk into the room it steals my breath and completely destroys my concentration?" While he watched she blushed. "I love you baby. More today than yesterday, and I know that tomorrow what I feel for you will be stronger still."

Elizabeth blinked back tears as she looked at the man who owned her heart. "I feel it too." She said as she reached up and cupped his cheek. "Every day my love for you becomes deeper and stronger. My heart is yours, it will always be yours. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve you. Because I wasn't that good as a teenager." Liz had to laugh at herself. "I was a bit of nightmare, so we can't be going on the merit system." She reached out and undid his belt before opening the snap on his jeans.

His blue eyes were on hers as they shared what was in their hearts. When his pants hit the floor Jason kicked them away before pulling her closer so that he could kiss her again. He was almost desperate for some contact. When he lifted his head he helped her out of her jeans, then pulled her close again. Right now only their underwear was separating them, and that would change shortly. "You are everything I need." He wanted her to know. "I know I don't deserve you, but I'm not letting you go. Don't ever doubt that." He said before taking her mouth in a gentle kiss that ended when they both needed to breathe. He rested his forehead on hers. "Come to bed with me." It wasn't a request but an invitation.

"Yes." Liz said bringing her mouth to his again, accepting.

He picked her up and carried her over to the mattress. Carefully he laid her down and covered her body with his. It amazed him that they lined up so well considering how much shorter than him she was. He loved having her under him. Loved feeling all that soft skin against his. "I love you."

"I love you." Liz cupped his face. "So much." She wrapped her arms around his neck enjoying the closeness.

Jason dipped his head and captured Elizabeth's lips in a soft kiss. His hands moved down her body until he was holding her hips. He rocked his center against hers making her moan softly. His mouth moved from hers, over the small dent in her chin, and down the column of her neck. She moaned louder still when he captured a peaked nipple and sucked. Down her body his lips continued to move until he was at the very heart of her. He removed her underwear so that he could bestow upon her a more intimate kiss.

Elizabeth arched hard as Jason's tongue worshipped her. The pleasure that he gave her just left her decimated. He gave so selfishly to her and that emotional connection was at the root of just how much he made her feel. "Yes!" She cried out as her climax rolled through her.

Just because she came didn't mean he intended to stop. This was too enjoyable for him to even contemplate moving. Hearing her yell out in pleasure just spurred him on to make her feel even better. After he brought her to climax a second time he moved back up her body kissing her stomach. "Ready for me?" He didn't want to wait anymore to feel her surrounding him. Grabbing the box of condoms he protected them both. In time they would ditch the latex but for now they would use it.

There it was that selflessness she was just thinking about. He didn't expect her to reciprocate even though it would be her pleasure to make him feel so good. "I am." Liz said bringing his mouth back to hers knowing what was coming next would bring them both joy.

Jason pushed off his shorts and lined them up. With a slow stroke he joined his body to hers. Lodged as deep inside her as he could get he wrapped her in his arms and started to move. Long slow glides that had them both trembling. He could feel her lips moving over his shoulder as her fingers gripped his biceps. This was paradise. This bed with his girl in his arms, and his body sheathed by hers. "Come for me Elizabeth." He wasn't going to be able to hold off much longer. The emotions inside him were a raging storm and they were stripping him raw. He needed to feel her squeezing him tight before allowing himself to go over. "Now." He repeated.

"Jason." Elizabeth shattered with his name falling from her lips as if in supplication. In this moment everything was him, was them. She fell into pleasure in its purest form as her heart soared and her body shook before shattering. She was breathing hard as he separated them and moved to her side.

He didn't go far and as their bodies cooled he linked their fingers. Just needing to be touching her. "Feel good?"

"I feel amazing." Liz rolled to her side and kissed his shoulder. She had been right in thinking that there wasn't going to be any problems with Jason. "Better than I've ever felt with anyone before." She had found the place she belonged.

Jason rolled to his side which made Elizabeth roll to her back. "There aren't any words to express how you make me feel." He gently brushed her hair back. "I'm going to need to get a thesaurus." He said being silly.

"I don't need the words." Liz was smiling. "I know. I know because the same feelings are in my heart."

"Would you consider moving in? I want you in my arms at the end of every day." Jason was just going for broke.

"I like the sound of falling asleep curled up with you after making love." Liz let her hand run down his arm. "I like the thought of coming home and knowing that you'll either be here or arriving later." Sometimes she came home late if she was assisting in a long surgical procedure. She yawned feeling content and satisfied. "Sorry."

That was when he remembered that his girl had a long day. A double shift at the hospital, plus a few hours into a third. "I think it's time to get some rest." He scooted down so that they could spoon up. He didn't need much sleep but he would stay in bed as long as possible because her skin against his felt too amazing to miss out on. "Night baby." He gave her a kiss on the back of her neck.

"Night." Liz said in a soft sleepy voice. The exhaustion hit her all of a sudden. She was looking forward to waking up tomorrow morning in her new home, in Jason's arms.

* * *

"Morgan." Jason grabbed his phone before it rang again. He would have to put it on vibrate at bedtime from now on. That way if he had to deal with an issue overnight or early in the morning Elizabeth wasn't woken up.

"We have a problem." Shawn told the mob boss.

"Hold on." Jason threw back the covers and not bothering to grab any clothes walked into the bathroom. "Sonny?"

"More than likely. I'm trying to not jump to conclusions, but I don't see how this isn't him." Shawn looked around the room in disgust. "I'm out to the Zacchara estate. Anthony is on the floor of his bedroom with what looks like an entire clip's worth of bullets in him. The housekeeper said she heard shouting before the gunfire, then a whole lot of silence."

"Shit." Jason just shook his head. Odds were good this was the work of his partner. This was just about the worst scenario he could envision.

"Do you know where Sonny is?" Shawn wanted to know. "This is the only time I'm going to ask." He wasn't threatening Jason, just stating the facts. "This is the only chance you get not to go down with him." The enforcer was going to try to bring Sonny in alive so that he could be taken to Palermo. However based on the level of overkill involved in this murder Shawn was ready to take the older man out if necessary.

"No, I don't." Jason told the other man. "We sent an alert telling the guys to keep an eye out and report in if anyone sees him." Now they needed to organize a full on manhunt.

"You need to step it up now." Shawn said echoing Jason's thoughts. "My crew will be looking as well when they are done here." He had traveled over with a small contingent. "Call me if you find him."

"Understood." Jason just shook his head again. He had tried his best to keep his partner from going down this path. However he couldn't control Sonny. Nor was Jason going to take the blame for Sonny's inability to deal with what happened. Jason was almost certain that the guilt of losing another woman due to his actions coupled with Michael being hurt was eating his partner alive.

"Jason, you aren't turning your back on him." Shawn wanted to make this point clear. "Sonny's out of control and he's not even trying to pull himself back. Do you know if he's been taking his meds?" Palermo knew about the bipolar diagnosis, which was why Maximus didn't just give the order to take the Cuban mob boss out. If that was at the root of this, then Sonny would have a chance to get himself back on track.

"As far as I know he has. I'm not making him take them in front of me." Jason replied to the question. "At the same time I can't overlook the fact that the last really bad episode he had, before he was diagnosed, was right after Lily died." The parallels were scary.

"When he declared war on Rivera." Shawn wasn't working for Maximus then, but he knew the history. "We don't have to worry about going down that road again." Another war would not be happening. "We need to find Sonny, and go from there." Not only would Sonny be facing punishment from the Don, but restitution had to be paid to the Zacchara family for Anthony's murder. Thank goodness they only had to deal with John, he would take the payment and let the issue go.

"Give me an hour and I'll meet you in my office." Jason saw this as the beginning of very long day unless they found Sonny quickly. "I'll be bringing most of my LTs."

"O'Brien isn't going to stay in the hospital with all this going down." Shawn said with his first grin of the night.

"He already snuck out." Jason was grinning too. "He should be resting."

"If you just bring him then you know he isn't overdoing it. He can sit in a chair in the office just as easy as in his house. Besides he may have some insight into how Sonny thinks. Corinthos did order O'Brien's death." Shawn said knowing Johnny was stubborn enough to come to the meeting on his own.

"Good point." Sonny thought Johnny was the one who sold them out and allowed Rivera's men to plant the car bomb. Jason had to send Johnny out of town while they cleared everything up. If Sonny was off his meds and not thinking clearly he might be looking for another scapegoat. Hopefully he wouldn't take out anyone who worked for them. Anthony's death was enough. "One hour." Jason needed to get moving.

"See you then." Shawn said ending the call. "Clean it up." He told the crew that was standing by. Hopefully this would be the last mess Sonny created.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 5

Jason sent out text to everyone who needed to be at the meeting, and since he was in the bathroom jumped into the shower. Stepping back into the bedroom he was surprised to see Elizabeth sitting up. "I was trying not to wake you up."

"I'm a light sleeper." Liz said enjoying the current look he was sporting. Naked worked for him. "That is balanced out by the fact that I go to sleep pretty easily. If I could sleep in the on call room I would never be tired." She said giving him a grin. "Are you sneaking out? If that's the case I need to remind you that you live here. With me."

Jason smiled hearing her say that. "Trent will have a key for you later this morning. You can also feel free to call a crew to move stuff or to talk about painting the walls if you want to do that."

"Okay." She didn't have plans to change much. Mostly she had to figure out where she wanted to put her things.

"Shawn called." Jason told her as he walked over to the bed. She could guess that he was getting ready to head out, but she didn't ask about it. That made him feel good, in past relationships he sometimes felt like he was justifying the need to work. "Anthony was killed."

"Sonny?" Liz said sliding across the bed so they were closer. She only asked because he was sharing.

"More than likely." Jason nodded as he answered. "We need to have a meeting and figure out what to do now. So, I'm heading into the office."

"Did Anthony have allies?" Liz knew that could be an additional headache. Most organizations did. People seeking revenge could lead to a war.

"No." Jason was happy about that. "No one liked Anthony, and he didn't trust anyone that much. So there won't be any trouble there. Which is good because Sonny is causing enough problems. I don't know when I'll be back."

"I'll be fine." Liz didn't want him worried about her. "I'll be staying in and vegging. That's typical behavior after I work a lot of shifts in a row, just so you are aware." She wasn't going to be putting on an act because they were moving in together. She was who she was, something Liz didn't think Jason was going to have a problem with.

"Thank you." Her staying in was for the best, and he didn't even have to ask. "You need to order in because I have no groceries." Jason laughed at himself.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't have many groceries at my former apartment either. I'll figure out what has power and is open." Liz figured if nothing in Port Charles was open the guys could send a runner to Buffalo or Rochester. Normally she would never ask that, but these circumstances were far from normal. Most places in the city wouldn't have solar panels like the Towers did. The Corinthos/Morgan owned businesses might be closed due to things not being safe yet. According to the news bulletin on her phone the police were still asking folks to stay inside if possible.

"Trent will know." Jason looked at the clock.

"Go." Liz rolled to her knees and gave him a kiss. "I'll see you when you get home. Don't worry about me if you are late. I would like a call though."

"You will see me later, and I'll definitely be calling at some point today." He said kissing her again before going to get dressed.

* * *

"You look like crap." Shawn said with a grin as he walked into the office. O'Brien was sitting at the table nursing a coffee.

"Clearly you need your eyes checked." Johnny said with a snort. He and Butler went back a ways, but honestly the Irishman was hoping to not have to see his friend during this trip. The fact that this meeting was necessary said things were bad. While he had been waiting years for Sonny to implode, Johnny didn't expect the chaos they experienced this summer. He really didn't see his older boss taking out Zacchara. Johnny just didn't think Sonny had the balls to pull the trigger.

"I just had a physical my eyes are fine. How you feeling?" Shawn grabbed some coffee and took a seat.

"Off my game." Johnny replied honestly. "I don't like being stuck behind a desk. I should be out looking for Sonny." Earlier this summer O'Brien went from the number two enforcer to the main enforcer because Jason had to take over running things. Last month Johnny was promoted again to the head of security which signaled to everyone in the organization that Jason was preparing to stay a boss even after things calmed down. They were expecting that decision to cause another dustup. Sharing power was not something the guys saw Sonny being thrilled about. So they had been bracing for that explosion.

"If you had taken your ass to the doctor, you would be out there." Shawn hated the doctor too, it was a byproduct of the job. They got hurt often.

Johnny just scowled at his friend.

"You guys start without us?" Francis asked walking in. He didn't even hide that he was giving Johnny the once over. Cody, who was coming up the hall now, said O'Brien's color was still off but their friend was moving well.

"We are the cream of the crop. We got this." Shawn was enjoying the chance to relax a little. This had been a long and frustrating trip. Dealing with Anthony Zacchara was never easy. The man had been cagey, and yes flat out insane. For the past couple of years the rumor had been that he and Claudia both were slipping mentally. He never should have been given a territory something Maximus conceded before ordering this trip. Even the Don sometimes made a misstep. The two men had been friends for years and Maximus didn't want to believe that about his friend.

"Is that on your resume?" Cody wanted to know. He heard the comment as he walked through the door. This summer saw changes for him as well. He had been moved into the number two enforcer slot, before being named the main enforcer when Johnny was once again promoted. Lots of changes had happened and Sonny didn't comment on any of them. He was too busy trying to pay someone back for the mess he himself help to create.

"Right at the top. In sparkly purple ink." Shawn said before sipping his coffee. "Who else is coming?"

"Renaldo and Marco." Francis said taking a seat. They were the number two enforcer and head of guards. He didn't say Jason because it wasn't necessary. "Ritchie is running the first shift of the manhunt. Max is holding down Greystone in case Sonny returns. Milo is resting so that he can relieve Ritchie." Francis explained the schedule he had in place. He was the number two man in the organization now.

Jason nodded as he walked into the boardroom. He didn't bother to request an update from Francis since they were having this meeting. If his friend had anything sensitive to report he would have done so without prompting. Unlike Sonny, Jason didn't lead by micromanaging. He trusted the men he placed in key positions would do the job expected. "Where are we?" The question was for Shawn.

"Sonny is on the Zacchara security footage." Butler took over the briefing. "His car was also on the grounds." Shawn didn't realize he had passed it walking into the mansion. "The footage shows him entering the house in a hurried, but seemingly calm manner. He rushed out about thirty minutes later disheveled and bloody."

Jason didn't say anything, he just leaned back in his chair and listened.

"None of the staff witnessed the altercation first hand. Anthony didn't have guards at the gate or patrolling the grounds so we don't have to worry about that either." Shawn continued his report.

"We caught a break there." Francis was thinking in terms of cover up. People were always the weak link in keeping a secret. Witnesses could cause all kinds of issues. The more people who knew something, the greater the odds it would get out.

"We did." Shawn agreed with a nod.

"Why were you at the estate?" Johnny wanted to know. "The last any of us heard you were still in New York. Did someone call you?"

Shawn just shook his head before looking around the table. "I went to take Anthony out, only I got beat to it." Shawn said with a smirk. "Yesterday I got confirmation that the Zacchara family was behind the warehouse shooting. After delivering my proof to Maximus, I was told to handle the problem."

"So if Sonny had just waited we wouldn't be here now?" Cody said rolling his eyes. He wasn't the biggest fan of his older boss. The man was too impulsive to be in charge. Immature behavior like that got people killed.

"Pretty much." Shawn told the guys. "I do have orders to bring Corinthos to Palermo. Alive. Maximus wants to address Sonny's role in all this. Now your partner will go to Italy for another reason as well." Shawn said looking at Jason.

"Why did Anthony go after Sonny in the first place? I know Zacchara was nuts but unprovoked attacks weren't his style." Jason wanted to know. They were having trouble finding this piece of the puzzle. "One minute things were fine and the next bullets were flying."

"John Zacchara." Shawn put down his coffee cup.

"We didn't have anything to do with John getting beat up." Renaldo spoke for the first time. "Cody or I would have handled that if the order was given. However since John is not part of the business that order wouldn't come from Jason. Nor would we act on it, if it came from Sonny." The youngest Zacchara child had been badly beaten a short time before the shooting. Anthony had vowed revenge on whoever did it, and the incident was why Claudia arrived in Crimson Pointe.

"I'm guessing there are a core of workers in the organization who are fiercely loyal to Sonny. Ones who did whatever their boss asked, without question. Including beating up people, and making sure you guys didn't find out." Shawn's gaze swept the guys he was with. He had no problem believing no one in the room now was involved. That wasn't who they were. "I have proof from the shooter, who got proof from Claudia, that Sonny had John beaten up."

"What kind of proof, and what was the motive?" Jason wanted to know. He knew Shawn well enough to know that the enforcer was thorough. So if he was acting on this tip, it was valid.

"Video proof of John hanging from a meat hook while being worked over. I recognized a couple of your guys, and Sonny is in the room." Shawn had been speechless while watching the footage.

"Someone who was there recorded it?" Francis threw down his pen in disgust. They never did that. Ever. "You know who?"

"Yes, which is why you're going to need someone else to watch Greystone." Shawn knew that Jason would get the name of every man there, and that they would be punished.

"Max." Cody just shook his head. The eldest Giambetti had been blindly loyal for years. Now it was going to cost him everything, except probably his life.

"Yes." Shawn nodded sipping his coffee. "I have photos of him turning over the footage to Claudia. I'm guessing she had them for insurance purposes. Having the son of the Don by the short hairs could come in handy. By the way, she ordered the hit not her dad. Although Anthony was happy to take credit."

"Keep going." Jason wasn't showing it but he was pissed. He was ready to end Sonny himself.

"Why did Sonny attack John?" Johnny asked at almost exactly the same time.

"According to what Claudia passed along, and I get that this is suspect." Shawn didn't like he said/she said. Facts were much better, but it fit with the other information he had dug up. "Sonny was pissed that Corinthos Morgan didn't receive Crimson Pointe. He and Anthony already didn't get along, and when Zacchara arrived words were exchanged." Everyone knew that. Neither man had been subtle when it came to expressing their opinions of the other. For months a war of words had ensued. "There was a particularly nasty altercation one night at the Metro Court when Sonny was having dinner with Kate. After the publisher went to her office to finish up an issue and Sonny left." Shawn was laying out the timeline.

"We know about the exchange of words." Jason confirmed that part. "I went to see Sonny the next day about watching his reactions in public."

"It was already too late. On the way home from the dinner John's Lotus was spotted. Sonny gave the order to pick the kid up. Things escalated from there. John's beat down was supposed to be a warning to his dad to leave. Only he never told Anthony."

"He told Claudia, who wanted revenge." Jason forcefully exhaled. Cutting ties with Sonny had been the smartest course of action after all. "The shooter is gone?"

"Yes, and no you don't get a name. I came to handle that and I did." Shawn told the mob boss.

Jason nodded indicating that he accepted that.

"We need to figure out how to explain Anthony's disappearance." Francis shifted the focus from Sonny for a moment.

"Palermo will handle that." Shawn told the guys. "Anthony is going to be seen in Italy where he will make it known that America didn't suit him. Despite what was done to him John is going to help. He has no desire to see anyone else die. He didn't want Kate to die and he was horrified when Michael got shot. John is now under Maximus's protection."

"We won't go after him." Jason assured Shawn.

"I didn't expect that you would." Shawn had still been instructed to pass that along.

"So we need to find Sonny, and deal with the crew that was with him when John was beat up." Johnny put together their to do list. Like most of their holdings the warehouse they were meeting in had solar panels on the roof. The lights flickered once, and then twice before settling down.

Marco got up and looked out the window. "The lights are on as far up the docks as I can see." He reported.

"The power is back on, at least over here." Francis wasn't all that thrilled with the timing. Cody was sending out a text asking their guys to report in from other areas. "We lose the advantage of the dark." If folks started leaving their houses there was a chance someone else would run into Sonny before they could pick him up.

"Marco, go relieve Max. Tell him to wait in his apartment for further instructions." Jason said getting to his feet. "The rest of us need to join the search. Johnny go back to the Towers and wait for Max." They needed some names. Maximus would be told who was involved but it was really an in house manner.

"From there I'll go to the office and act as the point person in the search." Johnny knew that Jason wasn't going to let him do anything else. Now was not the time to irritate his boss.

"Everyone make sure to check in often." Jason told his crew. "Shawn you can ride with me."

"Sounds like a plan." Shawn said following his friends from the room. The fact that Jason was being so cooperative would hammer home the fact that he didn't approve of his partners actions. That would be important for whatever Maximus decided came next.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 6

Liz woke up and blinked the clock into focus. "Eleven." She had crashed after Jason left, and the fact that she was just waking up wasn't surprising. Yesterday had been a long day, in a week of long days. The hospital was short staffed, which was typical. Added to that some bug was taking folks out. So Liz had been picking up shifts. That made Dr. Ford's declaration about overtime hilarious. The man was probably going to stroke out when he got the hours for the nurses this week because Liz wasn't the only one working extra shifts.

It was time to get moving though. She went into the bathroom, and flipped the light switch and the room filled with light. Last night the room had been dimly lit by the bulbs over the sink which was enough for showering. This portion of the city had power again, hopefully everywhere else did as well.

Dressed she walked out of the bedroom and took in the hallway. Despite the many hours she had already spent at the penthouse she had no idea about the layout of this floor other than that there were four bedroom and three bathrooms up here. Considering this was now home, she should probably change that.

It didn't surprise Elizabeth that two of the bedrooms up here were empty. After her tour she decided to not even bother buying furniture for the spaces at the moment. It wasn't necessary. They weren't going to have overnight visitors. She was guessing that her guy only decorated the one room in case she stayed over. Friends, or family from out of town, who came to visit would be put up in a nice hotel suite. If an emergency popped up and furniture was needed they could take some from one of the empty, but furnished, units in the building.

With that settled she went down to the main floor. Before continuing her tour she stopped to say good morning to the guards. On this level they had the junior master suite which Jason had converted to an office. There was the living room where the couch, recliner, television, and coffee table were located. In what would normally be the dining room was the pool table and to that was Jason's office. Across from the pool table was the doorway to the spacious kitchen where they ate their meals whenever she was over.

There was a hallway off the main room where the laundry room and a half bath for guests were located. That corridor led to another large room that was also empty. Next door this space was a den, but here it would make a great dining room area for the occasional gathering of friends. There was also a door to the terrace in warm months they could let folks choose to eat inside or out. Looking around Liz decided that this room needed to be painted. Diane had a lovely color in her rear guest bedroom that Liz thought would look amazing here, along with the dining room set she had in storage. The one her Gram left to her in the will.

Of course before anything was done Liz needed to run her ideas by Jason. Not for permission, but to make sure he liked them. She didn't want to make changes that he would hate. Pulling out her phone she created a memo about the dining room. "Now a grocery list." Liz said to herself walking into the kitchen. Before she started going through the cabinets, the fact that she had a voice mail snagged her attention.

" _Liz, I'm going down to the office to get some work done_." Diane's voice floated out from the speakers. Her law offices were on the second floor of the Tower to the left. Another building with solar grids. " _I know that Jason doesn't have any food in his place, so I left the door to my home unlocked. Help yourself to anything in the fridge, freezer, or pantry. The guard knows you are to be let in_."

Elizabeth couldn't help but grin. They were a family and it showed up in so many different ways. Once her list was completed she would call Trent and get a timeline on the delivery. If it was going to take a while she would go grab something from next door. She would increase the ingredients for brownies one the list so she could make an extra batch to thank her friends.

Starting in the large pantry she made a list of staples. This area had caught her attention the first time she was over because it had double doors, making it feel more like a closet. It was a design element she'd never seen in a kitchen before. Stepping inside Liz could see that Jason hadn't lied when he said he didn't have anything. While she did have staples at her place, he basically had cobwebs. The joke cracked her up so she was grinning when she stepped back into the kitchen. A quick review of the cabinets revealed coffee beans and not much else. The man really was living the bachelor life.

With her note finished she scrolled through her contacts to reach Trent. He didn't answer so she left a message before putting her phone down on the counter to get some water. Sticking it in her pocket wasn't that comfortable. She had the same phone the guys did, and it wasn't the slimmest model. What is was though was bomb proof, shatter proof, water proof, and any other proof you could think of. Nor would she ever have to worry about getting a signal.

When Johnny gave it to her he also gave her three rules: keep it charged, keep it with her, and keep it on. The device emitted a GPS beacon so that they could always find her. She only winced a bit when she realized that at work she was breaking that second rule.

Before she could get down a glass the front door opened and closed. She wasn't expecting anyone so it was either Jason, or Lee who was working the door this morning. Probably Lee because her guy would call on his way in. But it wasn't either one of those people. Sonny Corinthos was standing in the living room, with his gun in his hand.

Elizabeth took a deep breath to calm herself down. Earlier in the year the ER had been taken hostage by a man with a bomb. She hadn't been working that day, but as a result of that incident the entire staff had to undergo training to handle situations of that nature. The first thing Det. Garcia said was to stay calm. Panicking could get them, and everyone around them, killed. He admitted it wouldn't be easy, but it was necessary. So she took another deep breath.

Hiding was the normal second step. Unfortunately that wasn't going to work because when she stepped out of the kitchen it was right into his line of sight. Something told her turning and running would be the wrong call.

So that left trying to talk him down.

"Elizabeth?" Sonny was not expecting to see her. He was looking for Jason, but he couldn't really remember why. The last day or so was something of a fog. However he did have this sense of impending danger. That enemies were closing in on him. "What are you doing here? Where's Jason?" With the power just coming back on his partner should still be on lockdown.

"He's at the office." Liz said looking at the older man. She angled the hand holding the phone behind her body some. "Are you hurt? I can help you with that?" His white dress shirt was splattered with blood. Some dried and some still wet. Briefly her mind went back to not being able to reach Trent. There was no way the building manager would just let Sonny come upstairs. Nor would Lee just let his boss walk into the penthouse.

"What?" Sonny asked his eyes landing on her before moving away again. The penthouse was safe, but the longer they stayed the more vulnerable they were to attack.

"Your shirt." Liz pointed and watched him look down. Instead of answering Sonny seemed to just zone out while looking at the splatter. With him occupied Liz quickly raised her phone and dialed Jason hitting the button to engage the silent mode on the phone. Spinelli had jailed break the system they used to give the devices what he called superpowers. One of which was to make it so that the person you dialed couldn't talk to you when they answered your call, they could only listen to the conversation taking place. When the ringing started she pushed the device into her pocket, to mute the sound, and pulled her shirt down just in time for Sonny to come back to the present. "Are you hurt?" She repeated.

"No." Sonny shook his head. "We can't stay here. We need to leave."

"Where are we going?" Liz knew that going to a secondary location was a bad idea, so she needed to stall.

"To a safe house." Sonny said starting to pace. "I can protect you until Jason can come."

"Me?" Liz asked confused. "No one wants to hurt me. I'm fine right here."

"Don't argue with me Lily!" Sonny said shouting. "I know. I know what will happen. They are going to kill you if I don't do something!" He was pacing faster now.

Liz watched him start to spiral. Having worked in the psych ward, and knowing Sonny's history she got what was happening. He was going through an episode of paranoia that was being fueled by memories of the murder of his first wife. She started to suggest the panic room that she knew was upstairs but stopped. Being trapped in that small space with an armed Sonny while he was in this state was a bad idea. So the only thing she could hope was that Jason was listening in, and that the GPS signal was as strong as Spinelli said it was. "How did you get in the building?"

"Through the emergency exit in the penthouse." He pointed to the wall.

Liz got that he meant next door. While she had heard Diane speak about the fact that there was a secret exit from the penthouse in case the Towers was breached, Liz had no idea where it was in the apartment. "The stairs to the garage."

"I walked up. I had to take out the guards because they can't be trusted." Sonny said rambling as he told his story. "I know they can't be trusted. They aren't one of us. They are working for the enemy, trying to keep me from protecting you. Jason needs you to stay safe Liz."

"I'm sure he would thank you for that." Liz said smiling. Sonny called her by the right name this time, but she didn't think he was completely with her. "So we should leave." She was going to take the chance that they would run into someone else exiting the building.

"Not that way!" Sonny yelled when she took a step forward. "Down the stairs."

"I don't know where the stairs are." Liz was not so thrilled about leaving now.

"In the pantry." Sonny said raising the gun and pointing to the kitchen. "We should leave. Now." He said walking past her and grabbing her arm to get her moving. "We are wasting time Lily."

"How do you open it?" Liz was looking around for a weapon. Jason's lack of cooking was coming back to haunt her. The man didn't even have a knife block. He did have cooking utensils in a ceramic holder by the sink, but at the moment she didn't see how they would be helpful.

"Pull the door towards you." He said indicating she should go first.

Liz looked along the wall and found the hidden lever. She activated it and pulled on the door, but it didn't move. Inactivity had made it stiff. Now if she really tried she could get it open, however her brain saw a way to use this to her advantage. So she made a big production of trying to move the door. "It's stuck. I'm not strong enough to get it open."

"Move." Sonny roughly pushed past her and tugged at the door.

With him occupied Liz backed out of the pantry. She ran over to the sink and grabbed the wooden cooking spoon. As fast as possible she ran back to the pantry and slammed the wooden door shut then slipped the spoon into the handles effectively locking Sonny inside.

Her breathing was shaky as she pulled out her phone. "Jason." That was as far as she got before the shooting started.

* * *

The guys were back in the boardroom. They'd been searching for hours now with no sightings. Since it was almost lunch time, it was an ideal time to take a break and compare notes. Jason also wanted to hear what information Johnny was able to get from Max.

"Almost the entire city has power now." Francis started them off with a general report as everyone helped themselves to coffee. "None of our holdings were affected."

"Good to know." Jason hadn't been too worried about that. He looked over at Johnny.

"Here is the list of names Max gave me." O'Brien told the big guard that he should have come to them with this information. Selling out the organization because he wanted to look good for Claudia didn't help anyone. In fact it was just gasoline on an already raging fire.

Max said he realized that too late. After Kate and Michael were shot he stayed silent to protect himself. Not just from Jason, but from his dad too. Giving up the names of the other men involved was just another sin to add to the tally. Max understood his time in the mob was over, no one would ever trust him again because he was a snitch.

"They are all on Sonny's regular crew." Jason said looking at the paper. "Vincent, Doug, Harry, and Billy." The blonde mob boss was silent for a moment. "Renaldo and Marco when we are done lunch have Spinelli locate them and go pick each one up. Take them to the warehouse." The one where problems were handled.

"I'll take care of them tonight." Cody told his boss. No point in dawdling. He would call the funeral home they used for body disposal shortly. They would need time to get the crematorium up to temperature.

"Do you need me for that?" Renaldo wanted to know.

"Sure." Cody never turned down help. "I'll let you know when."

"I'll tell Maximus that everyone is being handled." Shawn told the guys. "I have to say I didn't realize how big Crimson Pointe and Port Charles are. Not only together, but also apart."

"Italy has you spoiled." Francis said laughing. In Italy small towns were just that, small. Port Charles had just shy of 275,000 people. Crimson Pointe was only a little smaller. So they had a lot of ground to cover. No one thought that Sonny went any further because as far as they knew he was still on foot.

"You don't think he went into the tunnels, do you?" Marco asked his boss.

"Shit, I hope not." Johnny hadn't even thought of that. "We might not ever find him, dead or alive, if that's the case."

"Where are the tunnels?" Shawn wanted to know. They would need to be searched.

"The better question is where aren't they?" Jason had blanked on them too. "They were built by the Cassadine family and they run from Wyndamere to any point in Port Charles you can think of. They are extensive and a really good place to hide."

"I don't think Sonny knows the layout." Francis spoke up.

"Which won't stop him from going down there." Jason was positive about that. "Shawn's right. We need to check them out. Put together a crew of local guys; that will reduce the risk of anyone getting lost." They didn't have any maps of the network. "Also before anyone moves too deeply into the tunnels make sure Spinelli can get a signal." That way if the guys got lost they could call for help.

"I can lead the group." Marco volunteered. "I used to play down there as a kid. It's been a while, but you never know what rattles around your noggin. I'll call some guys after lunch and we'll go down while it's light out."

Jason put down his sandwich and grabbed his phone which was ringing. "It's Elizabeth, she's calling me on silent mode." This was the first time she ever did so, and not for a moment did he think it was an accident. You had to engage that feature. He clicked speaker, and answered the call.

" _Are you hurt?_ " Liz asked.

" _No_." Sonny responded. " _We can't stay here. We need to leave_."

Without a word the guys bolted from the boardroom heading for their cars.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 7

During what was surely the longest car ride of his life Jason listened to Elizabeth talk. The fact that she sounded so calm filled him with pride. The fact that her life was in very real danger filled him with terror. Hearing his partner refer to Elizabeth as Lily sent shivers down his spine. It was clear that Sonny had gone through some kind of mental break. Jason wanted to tell Johnny, who was behind the wheel of the car, to drive faster but that was pointless. Them getting pulled over wouldn't get them to the Towers any sooner.

"Shit." Francis said listening to the conversation. "If he came out of my house then that means both guards are down." He got out his phone to send an alert to their doctor. Hopefully Gary and Lee weren't dead.

They were pulling into the garage when Sonny mentioned the pantry in penthouse four. So they left Renaldo and Marco downstairs while everyone else piled into the elevator. They could keep Sonny from leaving the building with Elizabeth if necessary.

"She's doing a good job of staying calm." Shawn was impressed. He'd never met Liz, but the guys talked highly of her. He was also impressed with Jason's restraint, his friend had to be ready to kill something but was holding it together.

"Liz doesn't rattle easily." Johnny said as they switched to the penthouse elevator. The ride up seemed to be taking longer than the drive over. He heard Francis tell Trent to lock the building down and that no one but the doctor was allowed in.

They were in the lift when Elizabeth's voice came across the line. "Jason."

"I'm here." He said feeling a sense of relief so strong it almost made him dizzy. "Where are you?" Before she could answer they heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire and Elizabeth screaming. "ELIZABETH!" Jason yelled but he didn't get a response. "ELIZABETH!" He was shouting loud enough to make his voice bounce off the walls.

"Go!" Cody told his boss when the doors opened. He would tend to their fallen guys.

Jason flung the door to his home open and as he ran inside he was in time to see his girl crawling out of the kitchen. She was staying low to avoid gunfire, but the blood streaming down her arm indicated she had possibly already been hit. Best case scenario was that it was splatter from Sonny.

"Jason!" Liz got to her feet and dashed across the room. Behind her the kitchen descended into silence so hopefully Sonny was out of bullets. The fact that he would shoot through the doors didn't even occur to her. In her mind he would have engaged the emergency exit to try to escape.

"It okay." Jason's heart was beating hard in his chest, and his whole body was shaking. His girl was in his arms, and he was holding her tight to him. Maybe too tight, but he couldn't seem to relax his muscles. That thought reminded him that she was possibly bleeding.

"Don't let go." Liz said holding him tight. Him going anywhere was the last thing she wanted. That was the most terrifying moment of her life and right now she was feeling very safe.

"I won't." He promised. "Can you check her arm?" Jason looked over at Johnny who was providing them cover. Francis and Shawn were already moving toward the kitchen.

"Sure thing." Johnny was trying to get his blood pressure back somewhere near normal. He'd never been so scared in his life. "I need a first aid kit." He could see she was hit, but there was too much blood to get a good look at the wound. "The doc should be here shortly." In case it was necessary.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Jason wanted to know.

Liz just shook her head. She crying too hard to answer. After taking a few deep breaths she found her voice. "Can we not be here?" The words were shaky but she got them out. They were too close to Sonny for her liking.

"Close your eyes." Jason didn't want her to see the guards. When she did he picked her up and carried her across the hall to Francis's place. They ended up in the downstairs bathroom with Liz sitting on the closed toilet lid. "How bad is it?" He asked his friend who was gloved up and doing the exam.

"Pretty deep graze." Johnny said mentally telling his hands to stop shaking. "You might have a scar kid." Which totally sucked.

Liz just nodded thinking about how much worse it could have been. That made the shaking that started when Jason let her go, worse. "I'll get a fierce tattoo to cover it if necessary." She said squeezing Jason's hand and hissing when Johnny started cleaning the wound itself. "That hurts."

"Look in the kit and see what drugs we have." Johnny told Jason. There wasn't anything to numb the area. When they restocked the kit they would fix that oversight.

"Ibuprofen." Jason held up a pack.

"Yeah." Liz didn't want to be groggy. She took the pills and swallowed them dry. She hissed again as Johnny went a little deeper and then it was over. He was putting on a bandage.

"You should have the doc check that. I used the glue but he might feel stitches are better." Johnny said peeling off his gloves.

"I'm sure its fine." Liz could check it herself once she calmed down. "Are the guards dead?"

"Don't think about that." Jason moved from her side to kneeling in front of her when Johnny stepped out of the room. There wasn't anything she could have done about that, and he didn't want her feeling guilty. "I was terrified listening to you talk to Sonny. I'm sorry he got so close to you. None of us saw this happening."

"You wouldn't have left this morning if you even thought this might happen. I know that." Liz didn't blame them for what Sonny did. "I don't think I can live in the penthouse now." Just thinking about going back across the hall had her stomach turning. "I know I can't stay there tonight." She needed some space.

"Francis is going to insist we stay over here tonight. Diane will agree with him. I can buy us any house you want." Jason was praying that she still wanted to live with him.

"I like the sound of a house. Maybe your grandfather will let us have a few of Lila's rosebushes." Talking about something other than the shooting was helping her to relax. It needed to be discussed, and they would but again she craved space for the moment.

"I'm sure he will if you ask him. He adores you." Jason just kept telling himself she was fine.

"I'll sit on the couch, with Johnny." Liz knew her guy had things to wrap up. He wasn't going to shift her to the side, so she would do it herself. "Go to work. Finish up so that you can come back and focus on me. I'm not normally a diva, but I'm pretty sure later tonight I'm going to totally fall apart." For now she could hold it together so he could focus on Sonny.

Jason leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss. "I love you." He had to say it.

"I love you too." Liz said trying to soothe his guilt about leaving.

"I'll be out in the hall, or next door." Going further than that wasn't something he would be able to do.

"I'll be okay." Liz said taking another deep breath. She could cry on Johnny's shoulder if she needed to. "Let's go." They walked out. "Sit down Johnny. We are staying here while everyone else finishes up."

"I'll be more use out there." Johnny instantly protested.

"You had an outpatient procedure yesterday. Sit down." Liz pointed to the couch. Pushing him around made her feel better. Making him the patient meant she didn't have to think much on her own injury. "If you behave I'll tell Nadine you were instrumental in saving my life, which will help her to decide to go out with you." Nadine had already decided to take a chance with Johnny, he just didn't know that. But Liz did.

"Fine." Johnny was actually sore from the short run into Jason's place. He wasn't going to admit that though. "But you sit down too."

Liz choose the couch and he picked the recliner. "What channel has sports right now?" That would keep her friend from pouting too much. "Any racing today?" Francis had an international sports package so they could watch Rally racing if it was on.

With a look to make sure they were okay Jason stepped back into the hall to get an update from Cody before going to find out what happened with Sonny.

* * *

Gary was covered with a blanket, but Lee was gone. That told Jason part of the story. "How badly was he hurt?"

"Two bullets to the chest. Doc said Lee is in rough shape." Cody hated to see men go down, but this was going to be really hard to swallow. "Come on." The enforcer tilted his head toward the penthouse. "They are in the kitchen."

"Is he dead?" There was a part of Jason that wanted to hear the word yes. Despite Sonny's issues that might just be the easiest way to end all this.

"No." Cody could imagine what his boss was thinking. There was a part of the enforcer that agreed. They stepped into the kitchen and there was an immediate reaction from Sonny who was tied to a chair.

"Jason! They took Lily. We have to get her back. I tried to keep her safe. I tried, but I wasn't strong enough. They jumped me!" Sonny was looking around the room wildly. "Tell Francis and Shawn to untie me and we'll go after Liz."

Once again the older man was bouncing back and forth between realities. Jason looked at the three men standing in the room with him and tilted his head towards the main room.

"JASON!" Sonny shouted as his partner left the room. "THEY WILL KILL HER! ZACCARA HAS TO BE STOPPED BEFORE HE DOES TO YOU WHAT HE DID TO ME! LILY!" He screamed in anguish.

"How is Liz?" Francis thought Sonny could rot in the kitchen.

"Deep graze. She's sitting next door with Johnny. Can we stay over?" Jason could also just stay in a vacant unit downstairs.

"Absolutely. I need to figure out how to tell Dee and then keep her from gunning for Sonny." Francis figured Liz was in for a night of spoiling. "Stay as long as you need to." He was guessing Jason would be moving.

"Thanks. I'm getting us a house." Jason shared with everyone. "The doc left with Lee." They would be headed to the safe house they handled medical emergencies in. "We need to call someone else to have Sonny sedated. I'm not sure how long he will be like this, and I don't know what to do for him. He's too unstable to be awake on the flight to Italy. When can you leave?" Jason looked at Shawn. The blonde mob boss wanted nothing more than to end Sonny, but killing him wasn't an option. Not while he was in this state.

"As soon as the plane is ready. There are no loose ends to tie up." The enforcer answered. He was happy that Jason didn't need to be talked down. Maximus made it clear he wanted Sonny alive if possible. "You want him gone before word gets out he killed one of your guys and shot another? Not to mention the injury to Ms. Webber."

"It's probably too late for that." Cody took the question. "The guys won't talk out of turn." Meaning to those outside the organization. "But they will talk to one another. Two of our guys were shot inside the Towers, and Jason's girl was attacked. That isn't going to go unnoticed. I sent a full rotation of guards with the doc, one of them probably already sent out a text."

"Cody's right." Francis said backing up his friend. There was no rule about the guys talking among themselves. Keeping this quiet wasn't going to be possible. "You need to make a statement, soon." He looked at Jason. It didn't need to be long, but the guys were going to want to know Sonny was gone.

"Call your plane." Jason requested of Shawn. "We'll get Sonny ready for the trip. Cody, call a crew have some of Sonny's clothes packed, toiletries too. I'm not sure what he'll need. Enough of everything for a long stay away from home."

"I can do that." Cody moved off to the other side of the room.

"Should we call Dr. Winters?" Francis told Jason. She was Sonny's therapist.

"No, she'll want follow up information." When she was briefly dating Cody they wouldn't have hesitated to ask for help. Not now though, now she wasn't one of them. "Call Epiphany. She'll know what we need." Jason knew the older woman wouldn't hesitate to help. He helped Stan get out of this life, and she let it be known that she would provide medical help if necessary because of that. "While she's here I'll have her look in on Elizabeth and O'Brien."

In the kitchen Sonny was still yelling about traitors, plots, and kidnappings. He was calling for Lily, and Liz. He was vowing revenge against the Riveras and the Zaccharas. Then asking his dead wife for forgiveness. It was as frightening as it was sad.

"With what has taken place this afternoon Sonny may not be able to return to power in Port Charles." Shawn looked over at Jason. "Are you prepared for that?"

"We will be fine." Jason could lead the organization with no problem. "Please convey that to the Don." Maximus would call at some point. They would need to talk about what came next.

"I can do that." Shawn thought Jason was going to be a great boss. "I'm sorry your lady was hurt, and I'm glad it wasn't too serious."

"Thank you." Jason looked over at the kitchen where the shouting was growing fainter as Sonny put a strain on his throat. They had endured a long, and sometimes rocky friendship. Twice before they came close to ending their partnership, but had weathered through. This third strike really was the last one, because there was no coming back from Elizabeth being shot. If Sonny returned to Port Charles he was going to discover that he no longer had a business partner, or friend, waiting. "I need to check on my girl." Jason said before walking from the room.

"The crew is on its way to Greystone." Cody walked back over to Francis and Shawn. "By the time you get flight approval everything will be on board."

"Good. My crew is done out at Crimson Pointe, so I'm sending them to the airstrip to wait." Shawn had flown into the Corinthos Morgan private airport.

"I'll have meals sent over from Polluzo's." Francis pulled out his phone. It was a long flight.

"I appreciate that." Shawn knew they didn't have to do that.

"Let me call Epiphany." Francis was the one who stepped away this time. Sonny was quieter still. At this rate he was going to rupture his vocal chords.

A knock on the door announced the crew that was here for Gary. Cody just nodded. "This is fucked up." They were both former soldiers and had seen more friends die than they wanted to.

"Yeah." Shawn would light a candle once he was home. "Let me call Maximus." A more in depth report would be given later.

With a nod Cody walked out to say goodbye to his friend.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 8

"Hi." Liz was on the couch curled up with Jason. When he came back she let herself have a good long cry. Now she was feeling somewhat better. Johnny 'I'm fine' O'Brien was asleep in the recliner. She looked up at her guy who didn't look the least bit embarrassed. "You called my boss."

"She's the only person I know who can corral you and Johnny at the same time." Jason was hovering. He had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

"Since he's sleeping, I'll start with you." Piph said putting down her medical case. "You need to let her go Jason." The head nurse hadn't hesitated to come over. Technically she was on break between her double shifts, so no one at the hospital would miss her. "Let's have a look."

Liz moved to the front of the couch and watched her boss remove the gauze pad. Earlier she hadn't looked at the wound, but now she took a peek. "That's not too bad."

"Who worked on you?" Piph had no idea who the company doctor was, nor did she care. However she could tell by the glue job was that this hadn't been treated by a professional. It wasn't too bad, but it was a bit sloppy.

"Sleeping Beauty." Liz pointed to Johnny.

"He did okay." Piph removed the glue and redid the suture. "You're going to scar, but it shouldn't be anything but a thin line. You know the drill."

"That I do. No showering until tomorrow morning. Rest the arm. Yada, yada, yada." Liz said with a grin.

"She needs a short course of antibiotics." Piph told Jason. He could arrange for that. "Over the counter pain meds are fine. Also a sling until I give her the all clear, because Liz is stubborn." Epiphany gave her friend a look. "Russell told me to take you off the schedule for the rest of the week, because of how many hours you already have. By the time you are back on Monday you should be almost one hundred percent."

"How did Patrick take that?" Liz was due in surgery with him at the end of the week.

"He said something about leading a mutiny." Piph would be happy to help Drake with that. Russell needed to go. "What did O'Brien do? His color is off." Not much, but her experienced eye caught it.

"Running. Briefly." Jason pointed to his girlfriend. "We were worried."

"Let me give him a quick checkup. He doesn't have stitches to pop so that isn't a concern. I'll be glad when Nadine is back. She can take over his private nurse duties." Piph chuckled as she moved to her second patient. "By the way I stopped across the hall first." Meaning she had tended to Sonny. "Who's the eye candy?"

"Eye candy?" Jason asked confused.

Liz just snickered. "I'm going to guess Shawn is over there. Piph knows everyone else."

Jason didn't know what to say about that. So he ignored it. "Thank you." Now they just had to wait for the Don's plane to be ready.

Piph nodded and got out her blood pressure cuff. She would get Liz to fill in the blanks. Hopefully this Shawn person was sticking around, he was nice to look at.

The door opened and Diane walked in. "How bad?" She asked coming over to the couch.

"Deep graze. Light activity for the next couple of days, and a short course of antibiotics." Liz told her friend who was pushing Jason aside.

"You are staying here so that I can keep an eye on you." Diane didn't have children, Liz was the closest thing to a daughter she would ever get. Francis said that Sonny was being handled otherwise Diane would put a bullet in him herself.

"Thank you." Elizabeth just let the caring pour over her. She wasn't even going to bother arguing. "We can look at real estate listings."

"Congratulations." That her friend didn't want to live next door was not at all surprising. Diane would be happy to do some online shopping for homes. She and Liz could pick a few contenders so that the young couple could go see them in person and make a final decision.

"We decided last night to move in together, but living next door won't happen." Liz's voice shook a little. "I was looking forward to being neighbors." At least until she and Jason started a family. Liz would want her kids to have access to a yard.

"That would have been fun." Diane said grinning. "I'm sure that Nadine will be a good neighbor when she finally puts Johnny out of his misery." That made both women laugh. "Do I need to know anything?" The attorney looked over at Jason.

"Yes." He got to his feet. "Let's talk in your office. I'll be right back." Jason told Liz before giving her a quick kiss.

"I'll make sure she stays still. I have another hour on my break, so don't rush." Piph said joining Liz on the couch. "Johnny is fine by the way."

"Thanks, again." Jason appreciated the assist. "Come on." He told Diane.

The lawyer followed him to her office. Francis said a lot had happened, and now she was about to get the full story.

* * *

"Is that Cook's cake?" Liz asked surprised. Getting a whole one out of the mansion was pretty much impossible, yet there it was. The Quartermaine's personal chef didn't like preparing meals for the family, let alone other people. Liz just laughed when Jason said Edward told him there wasn't anyone in the family brave enough to let the chef go. Even Tracy cowered before Cook. Lila had been the only person the staff member liked.

"It is. Apparently Cook likes you. I told Edward you had an accident, and he requested the cake to make you feel better. He did it over email because he was afraid to go into the kitchen." Jason told his girlfriend as he put the dessert in the middle of the table for the friends to share. It wasn't just Francis and Diane with them. Johnny had simply stayed after his nap. Cody was over with Kelly. Milo was up because they wanted to keep an eye on him since his brother left with Shawn. Even though no one said why Max had gone home. Since his leaving coincided with Jason's message about Sonny, Milo knew his brother had screwed up.

"She likes me? I've never even met Cook." Liz pointed out the problem with that.

"Lila liked you." Jason said sitting next to his girl again.

"I adored her, so that is nice to hear." Liz missed Jason's grandmother. Her passing had been heartbreaking, but from that time came something good. Jason and his grandfather were able to move into a better space hoping to honor the woman they both loved.

"How long are you staying here?" Kelly had started her visit by checking Liz's injury and muttering all the things she wanted to do to Sonny with her medical equipment.

"As long as she likes." Diane answered before Liz could say not long. "We have the room." Their friends were staying in the large guest suite on the first floor, so privacy and tripping over each other wasn't going to be an issue.

"We plan on throwing Jason out in the morning. He can go stay at Jake's. It'll be like old times." Francis said laughing.

"Keep that up and you won't get invited to the new house. When we get it." Jason glared at his friend. It was good to kick back and relax after the stressful afternoon. His girl was doing okay, but she had moments when the memories came rushing back.

Cody's phone rang and he pulled out the device. "Lee is up." The enforcer shared with a smile. "The doctor said he's not fully out of the woods, but this is a good sign."

"I'll go out and see him tomorrow." Jason would also call and see that Gary's grandmother was taken care of. The guard sent some of his paycheck to the older woman, who was all the family he had. When they lost guys on the job they always made sure any relatives were notified. They would also make sure she was taken care of financially.

"I'll go out with you." Francis said taking a slice of cake. The drive would be a good time to start talking about what came next in Port Charles. More than likely the Don was going to give the entire city to Jason. If Sonny came back he might get Crimson Pointe. Or somewhere else if Maximus decided to just relocate Sonny altogether.

Jason nodded.

"This is amazing. Can you get more cake?" Kelly wanted to know. "Since this cook person likes you."

"The brownies I make aren't enough?" Liz asked messing with her friend.

"No." Kelly said with no shame. "The more chocolate I get the happier I am."

"It's a good philosophy for life." Diane said agreeing with her friend. The two ladies clicked wine glasses. She really liked Kelly, the lawyer never really warmed to Lainey. To be honest the therapist didn't fit in with the group in general. "It's a nice night, let's go sit on the terrace. Johnny looks like he could use some air."

* * *

"I hate slings." Liz said taking off the brace and rolling her neck. She moaned when Jason gave her a soft massage. "You have great hands." She said with a slow smile.

"Not gonna happen." Jason replied shaking his head. "You got shot."

"I'm a trained member of the medical community. I think I'm qualified to make this call." Liz loved that he didn't want to hurt her, but them making love wasn't going to bother her arm. "You can do all the work if it makes you feel better."

"Epiphany said nothing strenuous until she looks you over again later in the week. Sex falls under that category. I respect your medical degree, but I'm terrified of hers." Jason had no problem admitting that.

"You're really going to make me wait?" Liz asked pouting.

"Was it that good?" Jason just couldn't resist. Not for one minute did he think that because Elizabeth was joking with him she was fine. Nor did he think she was trying to pretend this afternoon hadn't happened. She needed time before she could talk about it.

"Yes." Liz said and then laughed when he turned red. Making Jason blush wasn't the easiest thing to do.

"If we find a house we like tomorrow or the day after, we can hopefully be together in our new place." Jason said leaning down and kissing her. "If it doesn't need a lot of work." While he was out tomorrow Diane and Elizabeth were going to pull up listing and maybe go look at some properties. Given the requirements he needed in a house there wouldn't be many to choose from. Cody was tagging along to offer security advice, and act as Elizabeth's guard until a permanent one was picked.

"I'm not looking to rebuild something. When I was ten my mom ripped our house apart. Living in a construction zone is not fun." Liz stood up and kicked off her shoes before turning her attention to her pants. The hiss she gave out when pushing her jeans down had Jason pushing her hands aside. "I won't be as tender tomorrow."

"You'll still hurt and you'll be stiff." Jason said kissing her nose before helping her out of her shirt and telling his body to behave. "I've been shot, so I know what happens."

This time she leaned up and kissed him. She didn't like thinking on that. "Locking Sonny in the closet while he had his gun in his hand might not have been the smartest move, but at the time I couldn't think of anything else." She was ready to talk about some of the afternoon, but not all of it.

"It was smart." Jason wasn't going to let her down play what she did. "You thought on your feet in a tough situation."

"I didn't leave the kitchen right away because I was afraid if I walked away that he would somehow get out. I figured Lee was down otherwise Sonny wouldn't have gotten inside. I was praying so hard that you were on the line." Her voice shook and the tears she had been fighting off all night finally fell. "Then he started shooting."

Jason gently wrapped her in his arms and held on as tight as he dared. He didn't try to tell her not to cry. He didn't tell her that she didn't have to be afraid because it was over. Elizabeth needed to have the freedom to have whatever emotions were necessary so that she could put this behind her. When she was done he wiped the tears on her cheeks before giving her another soft kiss. "Sonny is on his way to Italy. I'm not sure when, or if, he'll be back."

"Good. I'll find forgiveness for him because he's sick. I'm just not there yet." She could admit that. "It's going to take some time to reach that space." She could admit that too.

"Take all the time you need." Jason said letting her go. "I'll grab your nightshirt, and we can get in bed." Diane had sent for some nice items to lift Elizabeth's spirits. "Epiphany left you a sleeping pill, will you take it?"

"Yeah." It was just smart to give her body a night of rest. "Can I sleep in your shirt tonight?" Liz would be in his arms but having his shirt would be nice too.

"Sure." Jason pulled it over his head and helped her slip it on. "Let me go brush my teeth and I'll join you." Stepping into the bathroom he told himself to let the day go. If he dreamed he would have nightmares tonight for sure. Tomorrow morning he was going to have a hard workout in the gym which would allow him to release the stress he was holding. Tonight he was pushing that aside to focus on his girl.

* * *

"I'm going out to see Lee, and then have a quick meeting with the guys, after that I'll be back home." Jason told Elizabeth after they were dressed for the day. They enjoyed a joint shower, with no playing, so he could help her get clean. This morning she had indeed been stiff and raising her arm hurt like hell.

"I understand." Liz had passed a rough night, even with the sleeping pill, at some point today she was going to need to take a nap. While it would be nice if Jason was back to lie down with her she wasn't going to make him feel guilty about needing to tend to the territory. "Diane and I are going to look at listings after breakfast. I'm hoping to get to actually see a property today. Even though you haven't said anything I'm guessing the pool I'm picking from is slim."

The fact that Elizabeth picked up on things so quickly made his life much easier. He didn't need to spend a lot of time explaining why he made the decisions he did. At the same time if she didn't understand something, or agree, then she had no problem speaking up. "It's not size that's the main issue. Although the more room we have the easier it is to implement certain security measures like panic rooms."

"Its location." Liz said with a grin. "We can't live somewhere that I can look out my window and see our neighbors. If I can see them, they can see me."

"Exactly." Jason realized that sounded paranoid, but it was the way things needed to be. "I don't want something like Greystone or Wyndamere."

"Good because they are both ugly." Liz hated Sonny's house, which made the fact that she didn't get invited out often fine. Her relationship with Sonny had been cordial, he was never mean to her. Carly, on the other hand was possessive of Jason and wasn't issuing any invitations.

Liz thought the behavior was strange and kind of creepy, even factoring in their past romantic history. She also had no idea why Sonny or Jason put up with that nonsense. It didn't take long for the two women to have a confrontation over Liz being in Jason's life, and at that point they were still just friends. For the rest of the time Carly lived here they maintained a frigid relationship, if you could call it that. While Liz often wanted the blonde woman to go away, she never would have wished it was because harm came to Michael.

"I need to get started." The drive to where Lee was recuperating would be about three hours round trip. Mainly because Jason and Francis had to spend time making sure they weren't followed. When she nodded he linked their fingers so that they could go see what their hosts were up to.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 9

"Aren't we waiting for Cody?" Liz asked her friend. They were on the terrace with their coffee.

"I never wait on a man." Diane said arching a brow with a wicked grin. "If I had waited for Francis to ask me out, we would still be having eyeball sex across the table in the boardroom. Lord did that man move slow. I get that his last relationship didn't end so well, but I'm a much more amazing woman than she was."

"I'm going to have to agree with you there." Liz hadn't been a fan of Francis's ex. "She was a diva, and not in a good way."

"It's okay, I rescued him." Diane opened her laptop. "Since I assisted with Greystone I know the basics. Things like the minimum size of the house, location, the distance from the company headquarters." Diane went down the list. She pulled up the appropriate website and starting filling out the search requirements.

"Five thousand square feet?" Liz asked surprised. That was the smallest the houses they were looking at would be. "That's huge. What are two people supposed to do with all that space?" Jason said the house would be big but in her mind that meant around three thousand square feet.

"Trust me, you can't go smaller. Otherwise the security changes will be obvious." Diane explained. "Get a housekeeper because that's a lot of cleaning." The lawyer chuckled. "As for what you can do with the space. Jason needs an office, you will need studio space." Her current location wasn't going to work anymore. "Plus eventually you will have children for me to spoil. From what I hear small humans need a lot of room."

"I thought Greystone's size had everything with Carly wanting to have a castle to be the queen of." Liz could admit that. She was laughing at Diane. The woman never failed to say what was on her mind.

"Nope." Diane had also not been a Carly fan. "That size was Sonny's need to be a dictator." The mansion was just over twelve thousand square feet. "Your house doesn't need to be that big, but a small cute little cottage isn't going to happen. How about we cap it at six thousand square feet? That should still give you a handful of options."

"Okay." Liz was going to trust her friend. "Why don't you guys have a house?"

Diane grinned as she answered. "The first pair of shoes I ruined would be the end of that house. I'm a city mouse. If one of the homes down on the other end of the harbor became available I might consider moving. Chloe's home is lovely." Diane looked at the listings. "You are in luck. Sonny and Carly had four houses to pick from, you have ten." The attorney knew that Liz was narrowing the contenders to a few that Jason would look at. "Don't pass out at the prices okay?"

"I know that the houses are going to be very expensive. Five thousand square feet doesn't come cheap." Liz could be stubborn about paying her own way. This situation was different. They were looking at a certain type of house so that her guy, and someday their family, stayed safe. Having been shot, she really understood now why that was important. So she wasn't going to argue.

"Shall we?" Diane wanted to know.

Liz nodded pointing at the screen. "This one first."

* * *

Jason took the papers that Angie was holding out. "Francis and Johnny will be here shortly. You can just wave them in, even if I'm on the phone." He told his assistant.

"Not a problem." Angie replied before turning back to her computer. She liked working for Jason. He was really laid back and left her alone to do her job. She also didn't have to worry about him hitting on her.

Because his friends were coming down he didn't bother to close the office door all the way. Leaning back in his chair he shut his eyes for a moment and told himself not to call Elizabeth. Again. He called on the way to the safe house, and then on the way back into the city. Both times his girl said she was fine, and he believed her. She was dealing well with the events of yesterday. Probably better than him.

He had to keep reminding himself that she was okay. Yes she had been injured, but she was okay. For the first time in his life yesterday Jason had no trouble imagining how a situation could have played out differently. Bullets were odd creatures. They didn't always go in straight lines, and they liked bouncing off of surfaces. Anyone of those bullets could have killed Elizabeth. It had been too close. Entirely too close.

He opened his eyes when the door opened. "How are you?"

"Fine. Only a little sore." Johnny said with a shrug. Jason had trouble lying due to his injury, and that rubbed off on most of the people around him. Even little white lies didn't happen much. "From what they said in the hospital today should be the last of that. Francis said Lee was up."

"Yeah. Lee said he felt like he got hit by an elephant." Jason knew what the guard was talking about. "The doc is going to set up after care for when Lee is ready to come home. He'll need a nurse for the first couple of weeks."

"We've come a long way with our health care. We used to have to hide when recovering." Francis said with a grin.

"I don't think Jason was complaining the last time he got shot." Johnny replied smirking. Their friend had spent a month earlier in the year in Liz's art studio with the nurse providing bedside care. That month was all it took for them to realize it was time to stop fighting their attraction. "How is Liz?" Johnny was taking a good look at his boss. Jason looked a little stressed, which wasn't surprising given the events of the last twenty-four hours.

"Holding her own. She had some bad moments last night but for the most part she's processing what happened well. I think it helps that Sonny is gone, and that we aren't staying next door." Jason shared with Johnny the same thing he told Francis during the car ride. "She's doing better than me. I want to kill Sonny. I'm not sure that feeling will pass."

"A lot of guys are pissed. Renaldo did a drive around this morning and then popped into my office. The guys feel betrayed. By Max, but more so by Sonny. They think the two of them took us to the brink of war without considering how everyone else would be effected. I'm really hoping Maximus says that Sonny is not coming back here. If he does someone is going to take him out."

"He needs to come back to wrap up his life. A long term stay will be tricky." Francis looked between his two friends. "How will you handle it if Maximus doesn't dissolve the partnership?"

"No clue." Jason answered truthfully. "That's a worst case scenario. I'll deal with it if that is the decision he reaches." Like Johnny, Jason thought if Sonny moved back he wouldn't be breathing for long.

The three friends were sitting in silence each thinking about Sonny when the phone rang. Angie knew about the call from Palermo because Jason left a voicemail. When important calls like that were coming in everything else got put on hold or shifted to Francis.

"Morgan." Jason answered the phone.

"Jason." Maximus had spent the morning first yelling at Max for making a mess in Port Charles, and then listening to Shawn's report. That report included the recommendation from the doctor at the hospital where Sonny was currently residing. The mob boss's medical records had been faxed over, and they proved to be very helpful.

"Don Giambetti, how are you?" Jason asked getting the pleasantries out of the way. He actually liked Maximus, and the Don liked him as well.

"I'm well thank you. How are you? More importantly how is Ms. Webber?" Maximus shuddered when Shawn mentioned that the young woman had been injured. It was Maximus's greatest fear that Margareta would be hurt by the life he led.

"I'm fine and so is Elizabeth. Fortunately it was just a deep graze and in a couple of days she'll be back to one hundred percent." Jason passed along. "She will have a small scar, but hopefully it won't be too noticeable."

"Hopefully. Let's get to business so that you can get back to her." Maximus would have a hard time letting his wife out of his sight if he was in the younger man's shoes. Which would make his wife want to kill him. "If your guys are there you may put me on speaker."

"Thank you." Jason hit the button and put down the receiver. "Francis and Johnny are here."

"Gentlemen." Maximus said in greeting. He didn't worry that anyone else was there. Jason had earned that trust.

"Don Giambetti." Francis responded.

"Don Giambetti." Johnny replied.

"Let's get started." Maximus reached for his notes, and his reading glasses. "Let's start with Max. He will not be returning, which won't surprise you. He is officially retired. I hope that his behavior has not affected your opinion of his brother."

"Milo is very much respected here." Jason took that worry from the Don. "He is welcome to stay, but I will understand if he wishes to return home. It can be hard to be far from family."

"It can." Maximus got that if Milo came back it would be his choice. So that was put aside. "Sonny also will not be returning. I have sent paperwork to Ms. Miller's office that gives you permission to dissolve Corinthos Morgan. Included is a settlement agreement. When I was deciding how much money you need to give Sonny for his share of the business I took into account the damage he did before leaving." Maximus was not going to cheat Sonny, but the man had to make this right.

They had the answer. Jason was being given all of Port Charles to run. No one in the office was surprised by this announcement. "Thank you Don Giambetti."

"You're welcome." Maximus reached for a pen and crossed that off his list. "Before you dissolve the partnership you need to authorize two payments. One to John Zacchara and the second to Elizabeth Webber, for damages. You have Sonny's power of attorney so you can do this with no problem."

"The payment to Elizabeth may cause an issue. She is my girlfriend and legally that could raise eyebrows." Jason pointed out. Maximus knew a great many American laws, but not all of them.

"Make the payment to me then and I will have a check cut for Ms. Webber from my bank. She is owed restitution." Maximus would set Sonny straight if he got an attitude about that. "I sent paperwork for that in the bundle Ms. Miller received, but I will have my lawyer send an updated version with the name change."

"Diane will be informed." Jason looked at Francis who just nodded. "Will Sonny be returning to the states at all?" Jason wanted to know.

"I have not decided where Sonny will end up. Or if he will be returning. No matter what he will not be placed near you." Maximus could do that much. That decision might save Sonny's life.

"Thank you." Jason very much appreciated that consideration.

"Which just leaves Crimson Pointe." Maximus was silent for a moment. "It's been a pain in the ass for years. I swear there is a part of me that believes that the territory is cursed. No matter who has held it, they have always clashed with whomever was in Port Charles." Again there was another pause. "I was reading the paperwork on it after it became suspected that the Zaccharas were involved in Michael's shooting. Two Dons ago the decision was made to divide Port Charles and Crimson Pointe into two different territories to increase profits. One month after the decision was made the first war broke out."

The men in the office sat quietly and listened to the history lesson. Maximus didn't talk to hear his own voice, so there was a point to all this.

"If you are a believer in omens then you might say it was sign." The Don resumed talking. "So I have two choices, one is to put someone in Crimson Pointe that you will not ever go to war with. That makes a short list. In fact the only two names on it are the men in the office with you. Are either one of you interested in being a boss?"

"No." Both men said in stereo. Johnny was shaking his head for emphasis even though Maximus couldn't see him. Being a boss meant a lot of time behind a desk. Today was already proving to be entirely too long. As head of security he rarely had to deal with paperwork. Usually it was just reports from their overseas holdings. Besides Nadine had to live in Port Charles for work. When they became an item he needed to respect that she had a career she loved.

For his part Francis was saying no because Diane would kill him.

"I thought not." Maximus was trying not to laugh. He could only imagine the frown on Jason's face. The younger man didn't want to be in charge either. "So option two, Jason, is to give you back Crimson Pointe. That gives you all the docks, and a solid power base. So I'm going to do a restructure."

"How so?" Jason was guessing it was more than adding on the neighboring territory.

"I'm going to give you Crimson Pointe, Buffalo, and Rochester. In exchange I am going to take your territory in Colombia. You will keep Port Charles and Puerto Rico. I will also give you Bermuda and Aruba." Maximus had a map on his wall with all the territories on it. He had seen how to make Jason's life easier by putting all his holdings closer together. "The two islands together equal the value of your South American holdings. The Upstate New York territories are yours because you can keep the region stable. Is this an acceptable deal?"

"Yes Don Giambetti. Thank you." Jason didn't really have a choice he had to take it, however he was actually happy with what he was hearing. He wouldn't have new neighbors to deal with, and he no longer had to fly to Colombia. His holdings had almost doubled in value. It was a win all the way around. Plus the islands he now controlled were somewhere he thought Elizabeth would enjoy visiting.

"Good. I will keep you up to date as far as Sonny's movements are concerned. From this point forward his personal wellbeing is no longer a worry for you. I will also make it clear to him that if he decides to return to Port Charles for any reason he must receive your permission first. If he doesn't what happens to him is his own fault."

"Understood. I will allow him to say his goodbyes." Jason could do that, but Sonny would have an escort and he would have a time limit to handle his business.

"Then that concludes our business." Maximus very much preferred it when things were quiet. He expected that Jason would not tolerate any problems because he liked calm as well. "Gentlemen." With that the Don hung up.

"Congrats." Francis said with a grin. "You made out good."

"Let me know when I need to go to Bermuda and Aruba." Johnny said with a grin. "I'll suffer through inspecting the holdings." He wondered if Nadine had ever been to either of those locations, and if she would go with him.

"Can I be there when Liz gets her check?" Francis asked causing trouble. No doubt there would be a lot of zeros on it. She wasn't looking to get paid, but she had a right to compensation. "You should let Diane handle the argument Liz will put up."

"She won't argue until she learns she has to keep the money." Johnny said laughing. To give it away would cause Sonny to lose face. While O'Brien thought the older man deserved it, Liz wouldn't. She was going to forgive him because that was who she was, and because Sonny was ill when he pulled the trigger.

Johnny approached the situation from a different view point. Sonny choose to stop taking his medication even though Lainey told him what would happen if he did. So Johnny had no forgiveness in his heart. Francis and Jason would think the same way. It might be cold, but it was also the truth.

Elizabeth would take the money once she knew what it signified. Jason was hoping with it in the bank his girl might agree to leave the hospital. With a healthy balance in her accounts she wouldn't feel like she was looking to him to provide for her. She would feel like they were partners in the relationship.

"Okay, now that we've handled that I'm going back to my office." Johnny got to his feet trying not to pout.

"Go home and rest." Jason looked at his friend. "That's an order."

"One day as the only boss and already he's ego tripping." Johnny just shook his head. He was going to have fun with this.

Jason just rolled his eyes. "Go measure penthouse four and figure out where you will put your couch."

"If I move in Liz won't come visit." Johnny pointed out. The place would hold bad memories.

"She'll come visit." Francis answered before Jason could. "She won't let Sonny do that to her, she just doesn't want to be there day after day. She also probably won't go in the kitchen anytime soon."

Jason got to his feet because he was leaving too. His phone rang and he looked at the text message that just came through. "Elizabeth has picked some houses." He looked at Johnny. "Want to come give your opinion? That way I can keep an eye on you." Francis was in charge today with Renaldo backing him up until Cody was done with the ladies.

"Absolutely." Johnny perked up, sitting at home sounded boring. "Mostly because I'll get to see where you live before Francis does."

Francis just laughed as they all walked out of the office. Jason told Angie he could be reached on his cell phone and headed for his car. He was excited to see what Elizabeth had selected.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 10

Cody was leaning against his vehicle when the two cars pulled up. The SUV was Jason. The candy colored low slung sports car was Johnny. "Am I being thrown over for the pretty boy?" He wasn't expecting O'Brien.

"See I told you I was pretty." Johnny grinned as he got out of his vehicle.

"You are welcome to stay. I only brought him because Francis is too busy to babysit." Jason replied with a smirk.

"So am I watching him or is that you?" Cody kept the joke going.

"I'm standing right here, and I'm armed." Johnny told his friends.

"How many houses have you been through?" Jason asked ignoring his friend as they walked to the front door. This was a Victorian style home, he knew that because Lila had been something of an architecture nerd. The two of them had more than one discussion on the homes of her favorite architects.

"This is house number one." Cody passed along. "At least in terms of doing a walk through." He said correcting himself. "By the time I got upstairs the ladies had narrowed the list to five houses. I knocked another one off just based on the specs. Another house bit the dust when we actually went out to look at it."

"Liz didn't like it?" Johnny asked looking around the foyer of the home they just entered. It was bright open space from which you could see a good portion of the first floor. That was too much access for his liking.

"She liked it, but the specs said that the house sat on twelve acres. Unfortunately when we got to the property we learned that the house sat on the edge of the land, next to the fence. On the other side of the fence was another house." Cody had felt bad telling Liz the home wasn't an option. Fortunately she understood. In fact she said that before she even got out of the car she knew it was out. "This is the next house on the list."

"Where are the ladies?" Jason wanted to know.

"Up here." Liz was leaning over the banister grinning. "Hi. Because the house is empty there is an echo. We heard you come in. Would you like a tour?" She was almost done her walk through.

"Do you like it?" Jason asked from his spot on the main floor. If she said no then the tour wouldn't be necessary.

"Yes." Liz was still grinning. "It's a lovely home, we could be happy here." While she did like it, the house didn't excite her. She couldn't explain it any better than that. "I'm not the only one who will be living here, so your opinion counts too."

Johnny just snorted. He knew Liz wasn't thrilled with the house, which Jason knew it too. What she needed to realize was that Jason wasn't going to live in a house she didn't love. The house was about her.

"What's wrong with it?" Jason was still in the same spot.

So that they weren't yelling to one another Liz came down the stairs. "Some of the lines are wrong, and two of the bedrooms are tiny. More like closets." They would end up losing at least one, which wasn't too bad because the house had five.

"How is that fixed?" Jason asked her. He gave his girl a look over and could tell she was tired. After house hunting he was going to suggest they go back to Francis's place and rest.

"Knocking out walls. We could live here while that is happening. There is plenty of space to live while avoiding the work areas." Liz let him know. The master bedroom was fine and so were a majority of the main downstairs room including the kitchen.

"Let me do the nickel tour, is there a basement?" Jason was already thinking this house wasn't going to be their final pick, but his girl wanted his opinion so he would give it.

"A cellar." Liz told him. "The kind for putting up canned goods." Which meant small, and unfinished.

"Let me look around." Jason gave Elizabeth a quick kiss before moving off with the guys behind him.

"While he's doing that I'll call to get the combination to the key box at the next house and then we can finish our look around upstairs." Diane told her friend, she didn't want a realtor out irritating Jason.

* * *

He labeled that first house a contender. Jason was honest about it having a few shortcomings, but also about the fact that it could be upgraded to what they needed from a security standpoint. So from there they moved to the next house.

This one was a farmhouse, and in terms of curb appeal it was a winner. It was when they stepped inside that the problems started cropping up. Each of the homes they were looking at came with a sizeable price tag, but this one was the cheapest. If you could use that word when talking about spending over a million dollars. Walking through the house it became clear why it cost less than the others on the list.

"How many rooms are you mentally gutting?" Diane asked Elizabeth when they stepped into the kitchen. The golden yellow refrigerator announced which decade the room had last been remodeled in.

"Five of the six we've seen." That was most of the first floor. She looked at her friend. "I'm fairly laidback but even I can't live with what we've seen. I'm guessing that the frame and foundation are decent, otherwise that would be listed in the seller's disclosure. Right now that's the main selling point." The house could stand up to being a massive remodeling project.

"The listing did say in need of some TLC." Diane reminded her friend. Some was a major understatement in the attorney's opinion.

Liz just snorted.

"Maybe upstairs is better." Johnny said being optimistic.

"I'm scared to go up there. I'm betting at least one bedroom has shag carpeting." Liz said guessing the selling price had more to do with the eleven acres than the house that sat on it.

"Positives?" She looked over at Jason.

"We can make it into exactly what we want." The blonde mob boss said looking around. "But that means either moving into a unit at the Towers while the work is taking place, or living in a construction zone." There was only so long they could stay with Diane and Francis.

"You're assuming that the house is fit to live in. You might not be able to move in while the work is taking place." Cody interjected. He knew a lot about rehabbing houses. He worked for a friend who owned a business that did just that right after leaving the Marines, but before arriving in Port Charles. "You need to find out if the electric and plumbing are up to code. Based on that microwave, I'm guessing no." The house reminded him of his grandmother's place. She hadn't redecorated since the eighties.

"We'll walk through the second floor, and you guys can take the basement. For me this house is at the bottom of the list. The very bottom. I'm still willing to consider it though." Liz wouldn't mind staying at the Towers for a few months.

"We'll meet back here." Jason was hoping the next house would be better, because he'd rather be here than in the first place they looked at. He wasn't anticipating them not agreeing on a place.

"Don't panic yet." Johnny said with a grin as they followed Jason downstairs. "I can practically hear you thinking. There is still another house to go."

"I'm with O'Brien. Diane said they didn't look at anything over six thousand square feet." Cody followed his friends into a fully finished basement that resembled a disco, right down to the bar on the wall. "You might need to go bigger."

"I don't want to live in something the size of the Quartermaine mansion. I know Elizabeth doesn't either." Jason said looking around. There was a wall covered entirely in mirrors. Who did that? "What kind of carpet is this?"

"Shag." Johnny said trying not to laugh. Liz had called it, although she got the floor wrong. Unless it was upstairs too. "Come on, let's go wait for the ladies. I can't wait to hear what they found."

* * *

"If there is shag carpeting in there, I'm walking right back out." Liz said as they passed through the gate at the last house to make the cut. In the farmhouse every bedroom had the thick flooring. In very loud colors. "No other property had a gate."

"I know. I like that this one does. It's easier to upgrade a gate than build one." Jason was looking at the trees along the drive. "I also like that you can't see the house when you first get onto the property." There was a turn up ahead that he was presuming led to the house.

They took the turn and encountered more driveway. "This house sits on twenty acres, and is on an incline. According to the listing it's not steep enough to be a hill. It looks more like a plateau." Looking out the window she took in the trees. They gave her a sense of peace.

"Which style is this one?" Jason asked as they made the second turn.

"Shingle. Not a style I was familiar with, and honestly I had to warm up to it when we were looking on the website. It was the last house I picked." Liz could admit to going into this one with some prejudice.

"Why did you put it on the list?" Jason asked as the house came into view. When he didn't get an answer he glanced over and saw his girlfriend was taking in the structure.

It wasn't until he parked that she answered. "Diane said to give it a chance." Liz fell silent for another moment. "The pictures on the website don't do it justice." In person it made a much better impression. "Do you want the specs?"

He watched her watching the house and started smiling. He didn't get to see her initial impression of the first home, but watched her react to the second one. This third house was doing better than the farmhouse had at a first glance. "Okay." They did this at the second house too. Cody walked by them going to do a perimeter check with Sal. Not looking for someone who meant them harm, but to see if the exterior of the home had any obvious flaws.

"It's just over five thousand three hundred square feet. There are four bedrooms including a master suite. Three full bathrooms, one half. I already know I want to change that. There is a fully finished basement and I want a bathroom added." Liz explained to her boyfriend.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Jason let her know. It would be less than two days' work for one of the construction crews. "Garage space?"

"Three bays in two separate buildings." Liz had made sure all the houses had large garages despite the fact that Jason could just have them expanded if needed.

"All the bedrooms are on the second floor, like in the first two houses. There is a bonus space on the second floor as well, that we can do whatever we want with." Liz put down her phone. "I'm excited to see inside." More excited than for the first two houses.

Looking out the windshield Jason saw Cody nod. "Then let's go do that."

* * *

They walked through the first floor and Jason learned this house had only been on the market for three months. Whoever lived here did a host of upgrades at some point. Hardwood floors gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the windows, and that same light bounced off the pristine white walls.

The kitchen sported an island topped with marble, which would be good for baking, as well as stainless steel appliances. The breakfast nook made her smile as did the room off the kitchen with a fireplace. There was an office, and a room where they could put all manner of security items.

Instead of splitting up they explored the second floor together. The bedrooms were all a very good size, and the master was amazing. The screened in porch had Liz envisioning a glider to enjoy summer nights with Jason. There was a sitting room on the other side of what would be their private space which would be a good place for an office for Liz.

The basement was the last interior space to get explored. It was huge with not only a large main room, but several smaller rooms where they do things like set up a home gym and a theater room to watch movies. Jason didn't go to public theaters, actually most of the guys didn't so they could host their friends here.

"Look." Jason pointed to the end of the main room.

"A bathroom." Liz replied smiling. If she was into omens this would qualify. "It's not in the listing."

"Often basement space is not listed in square footage." Diane explained what she learned looking at homes with Sonny. "I have to say this is quite the house."

"I like that it's up a bit." Johnny said looking around. "And that you have to make a few turns to get to the house from the gate." He was already mentally placing surveillance cameras.

"I like the gate." Cody said with a grin. "You want to add anything Sal?" Diane's guard had been quiet most of the day.

"I like that there are a lot of trees, and that the house is in a no fly zone." Sal had been driving when Diane looked that up.

"Really?" Johnny nodded liking that. "Even better. I figured we were going to have to bribe someone like we did with Greystone."

"Come on, let's go look at the yard. We'll meet you guys upstairs." Jason said indicating he wanted some privacy. "I'm going to need a riding mower." He said opening the patio doors. These would be upgraded and reinforced.

"All that green is stunning. Do you want a pool?" They were standing on a large paved surface with a basketball court off in the far corner. This was probably an outdoor play space. On the other side of the house, off the kitchen was a patio area complete with a deck. They could grill there.

"Not right now." He said putting his arm around her and bringing her close while being mindful of the sling. "We can go to the Towers to swim. Maybe later at some point."

"So you like it?" Liz asked looking up and smiling.

"I like it, and you?" Jason already knew but he got the impression she wanted to say the words.

"I love it." Liz leaned into him. There wasn't anything else she needed to say. When he leaned down she met him halfway for a kiss. "Now what?" She asked when it was over.

"Now Diane buys it. Then you pick paint or wallpaper, and have any issues addressed. After that we move in." Jason couldn't wait. For the first time he felt like he didn't just have a place to live, but that he had a home. "You'll need to shop for more furniture. I don't want a lot of empty rooms."

"I can do that." She wouldn't press for him to come along because she knew what he liked.

"You also need to sit with the architect that works with the construction crew. You need studio space." Jason noted that none of the rooms had enough light for that. "For now will one of the bedrooms do?"

Liz nodded. "I can't paint until my arm doesn't hurt anymore. Once I'm all healed one of the bedrooms will be fine." She assured him. It probably wouldn't take long to build the studio space because she didn't need anything fancy. They could even go with something prefab if that was easier. "Let's go find Diane."

"While she is handling the sale, we can have a nap." He wouldn't sleep, but holding her while she did would be wonderful.

"Okay." Liz was flagging but trying to hide it.

They walked back to the rec room doors and he scooped her off her feet. "Welcome home baby." It wasn't a done deal just yet, but his girl wanted this house and she was going to have it.

* * *

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	11. Chapter 11

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 11

"Hi." Liz blinked the room into focus. They were still in the Corelli/Miller guest room. The day they decided on the house she told Diane that they would move to an empty unit until the sale was finalized. The lawyer just smirked and told Liz she was welcome to try and leave, but it wasn't going to happen. Jason was no help saying he wasn't going to argue with the woman who kept him out of prison. Francis just stayed mum, but he did grin.

"Morning." Jason kissed her nose before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. The early hours of the day were not her favorites so waking up took a while for Elizabeth. She often said that one of the reasons she loved being on Patrick's service was that he never went into the OR before ten unless it was an emergency. That worked out well for her. "We close on the house today."

Liz replied with a sleepy smile. It took three days to finalize the sale because the previous owners were now in Japan. The time difference had slowed things just a bit. "I'm excited. I'm even more excited for tomorrow when we move in." While waiting for the paperwork to clear Liz and Diane had gone shopping for furniture. Liz also had meetings about paint and her new studio. As soon as they got the keys the crew was going in and get started.

"Me too." Jason realized that excitement was an emotion that he associated almost exclusively with his girlfriend. He looked forward to quite a few things in life, but nothing got him pumped up more than knowing he was going to be with Elizabeth. Now they would be together in their own home.

"First I have to go see Piph." Liz said telling herself not to go back to sleep. "I'm sick of using the sling." She said pouting a little. Her arm only hurt when she over did it.

Unable to resist he leaned forward and took her lower lip in her mouth for a kiss that left them both breathless. "When Epiphany gives you the all clear I'll stop pestering you about the sling." Each time he caught Elizabeth without it he made her put it on.

"You are sexy when you get overprotective." Liz said with a smile. She had been trying to tempt Jason to change his mind about no sex, but he was holding out. Only because he was worried about hurting her.

"Behave." Jason wanted her and but he was staying strong.

Liz drop her head to his shoulder as her body shook with laughter. "Am I going to get my guard today?" She asked when she was back in control. He hadn't said who was getting the assignment.

"Yes. We had to figure out who was going to be the best fit." Jason urged her closer loving the way she felt against him. "Lee was our original choice but he won't be back for at least another two months." Jason took her through the process of how they picked her guard. "Then we considered Milo, but yesterday he served notice."

"He's going home?" Liz lifted her head in surprise. She liked the young guard and would miss him.

"Yes. He's embarrassed about what Max did." Jason had told the youngest Giambetti brother that he was welcome back at any point. After Milo left the office, Jason asked Cody what the guys were saying about the situation. The enforcer assured him that no one blamed Milo for what his brother did.

"Are you having a going away dinner?" Liz would miss him.

"He doesn't want that." Jason was respecting Milo's request for a silent send off. "When we go to Palermo I'm sure we'll see him again."

Liz just smiled at a future trip to Italy. She'd always wanted to see the country and her dream was going to come true. It was just a matter of when. "So who is stuck with me?"

"Kyle." Jason trusted the guard implicitly and he would be a good fit with Liz.

"I like Kyle. He's chatty like me." Liz wouldn't feel odd with him following her around. "Okay, I'm going to go shower. Want to join me?"

You are so bad." Jason just shook his head.

"I know." Liz said before throwing back the covers and walking into the bathroom.

Jason leaned against the headboard and said a silent prayer that she was okay. He was determined that this was the last time violence of any type ever touched her. Before becoming his girlfriend she hadn't ever been hurt in any major way, and that shouldn't change just because their relationship status did.

* * *

"Look at you, sling free." Diane said closing the door behind her friends as they entered the office.

"I'm thrilled, my shoulder was getting stiff." Liz's wide smile reflected her happiness. "My arm still hurts some, but that will pass. I can hand equipment to Patrick which is all that matters."

"When do you go back to work?" Diane asked sitting at the table in her office.

"Next week." Liz said smirking. "Dr. Ford was less then pleased with me getting overtime two paychecks in a row so I have more unpaid days off to balance things out."

"I'm surprised that Piph hasn't killed him yet." Diane was good friends with GH's head nurse.

"I think if Dr. Ford keeps getting on Piph's case about the hours she is seriously going to snap on him." Liz passed along.

Jason just sat back and let the ladies talk. According to Edward, Dr. Ford was not going anywhere. He was hard on staff morale to keep but good for the bottom line. Which was what the board really cared about.

"Okay, enough gossip. We can pick this up later over dinner." Diane was enjoying having them as guests. Mainly she was just enjoying watching Liz and Jason together. It was wonderful that they no longer had to hide. Diane was looking forward to watching jaws drop when the rest of the city learned they were a couple. It was too bad that Carly didn't live here anymore. "You have a house to take possession of. Then Liz, you and I have business to discuss."

"We do?" Liz asked surprised. Diane was her lawyer, but other than the house they shouldn't need to do anything.

The attorney just smiled. "Here is the deed. I need you both to initial here." Pages were turned. "Here." More page turning. "Here." Diane pointed and flipped more pages. "Full signatures and the date here." She watched as they did as instructed. "Almost done. Initials." She said on another page. "Full names again, with date."

Liz smiled at Jason as she put her name on the line. "We own a house."

"We do." Jason signed once she was done.

Diane went to the fax machine and sent the forms off to the bank. There was someone waiting to file the paperwork and the money that was in escrow would be released to the former home owners. "In about ten minutes I'll get the notarized papers from the bank and I'll file those. Before the day is over I'll have the title for the property and I'll file that too." Diane walked over to her desk and grabbed an envelope. "Here are the keys." She handed them to Jason. "Congratulations. Now get out."

"You're making me leave?" Jason wasn't expecting that.

"Yes, this is Liz's private business. If she wishes to share later she can. Now, you get to wait in the reception area. Help yourself to some coffee." Diane hit the speaker on her phone. "You can come down."

"Fine." Jason said getting to his feet. "I'll be out front when you're done."

"Okay." Liz trusted Diane enough to not argue. "So?" The nurse asked when her boyfriend was gone. "What's up?"

"We are waiting for someone." Diane took a seat just as her office door opened. "Liz, this is Claire Walsh." Diane wasn't sure they had ever been formally introduced.

"We've seen one another around." Liz smiled at the other attorney. "How are you?" While yes they did know one another on sight and would say hello in passing, a real conversation hadn't ever taken place between them.

"Good, thank you." Claire could see the confusion in the younger woman's eyes. "And you? How is your arm?"

"Almost completely healed." Liz pointed to the chair Jason was in. "Have a seat."

"Thanks." Claire had been horrified to hear what Sonny had done. When she first came to town it had been to prosecute him for the government, but the man proved to be too damn charming and she found herself in his bed. It wasn't until her career was in ruins that she learned Sonny had a rotating door on his bedroom, and that the door turned very quickly. She had been angry and hurt, but with nowhere else to go she ended up staying in Port Charles which sounded really sad. However it ended up the best decision she made since meeting Sonny. Claire had a great life now and she had moved past those emotions to have a great job. The fact that she could handle Sonny's affairs showed how mature she really was. "I'm here on behalf of my client."

"Francis?" Liz asked really confused now. She knew Claire represented him because Diane couldn't. "Has he decided to charge Jason and I rent for using the guest room?" Liz asked laughing.

"Sonny." Claire cleared things up. "I'm here on behalf of Sonny."

"Really? Why?" Liz was even more confused. Other than an apology she didn't ever want to hear from Sonny again. Maybe he had written her a letter, but Diane could have passed that along. And Jason could have stayed in the room.

"If I may?" Diane asked her colleague, who nodded. Claire had been happy to hold this meeting here. "All actions have consequences, that's why we have laws. There is nowhere in the world that the statement I just uttered is more strictly adhered to than the Costa Nostra. Laws are not to be broken, and when they are reprisal is swift."

"Sonny shooting me?" Liz looked between the two women. Both attorneys nodded. "I understand that he was not in his right frame of mind at the time. I'm willing to let it go, as long as he stays away from me." Liz could be honest that she was done with him. "Jason told me that Sonny is not coming back to live in Port Charles, so that should be easy to manage." When he came to get his things the guys would make sure he kept his distance.

"Even with him not returning, he still has to make this right." Diane told her friend before looking at Claire.

"Maximus Giambetti has decreed that Sonny owes you restitution for the personal injury you sustained at his hands." Claire began explaining. "No he wasn't in full control of his facilities, but that is due to Sonny's own actions. He chose to stop taking his medication despite his doctor warning that doing so would see him returning to dangerous behaviors."

"If you took Sonny to court here in Port Charles, any judge would reach the same conclusion." Diane added on to what her partner just said. "He hurt you, he has to pay." It was that simple.

Liz leaned back in her chair. She was going to strangle her boyfriend because there was no way he didn't know this was coming. A little warning would have been nice. Taking a check from Sonny, because one was about to materialize, just felt wrong.

"Before you say anything you need to know that not accepting the check will have consequences of its own." Diane could tell what was going through Liz's mind by the look on her friend's face.

"Such as?" Liz knew she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

Claire took over again because Diane said Elizabeth would need to hear this from someone she wasn't close with. "Sonny's new doctors say that he can get his life back on track with a new course of medications and if he goes back into therapy. The medication regimen has already started, it will be a few weeks before the results are seen." These were the same family of drugs that worked here so everyone was expecting positive results.

Liz just nodded.

"Once the doctors decide Sonny is well enough to leave the hospital he is staying in he'll be staying in Palermo." Claire had already secured him lodgings.

"Being monitored." Liz guessed.

"Yes." Diane said nodding as she answered.

"If Maximus likes what he sees then Sonny will be given a new territory to run." Claire was guessing that the monitoring would still be in place at that point. "However if his debts are not paid off then that scenario won't come about." The lawyer was wondering if she would be asked to relocate. If Sonny made the request the answer was going to be no. She wasn't walking away from her guy for a job. "You are his only outstanding debt."

"As guilt trips go, that's a really good one." Liz said on a small laugh. "If I don't take his check, I stop his life from moving forward."

"Not necessarily." Diane told her friend. "His life in the business doesn't move forward. Sonny can do any number of other things. It has been proven that he can successfully run a legitimate corporation." He owned Deception and the brand was respected around the globe. In fact Sonny would probably move it to wherever he ended up. "Or he can retire on the wealth he already has."

Liz was guessing that Sonny would rather return to the mob. It seemed cruel to take that option from him. "Alright." She held out her hand and took the check.

"I'll need you to sign that you received payment." Claire handed over the legal document. She would find witnesses later.

"Do you need to review this?" Liz asked Diane. When the redheaded attorney shook her head no, the nurse signed her name.

"Thank you." Claire took the paper back. "I'll file this and send you an electronic copy." She told her partner. "It was nice to see you Elizabeth."

"You as well." Liz watched the other woman leave. "Is there more?"

"Yes." Diane came around the table to sit next to her friend. "You have to keep it. All of it."

Liz pursed her lips. "How much is the check for?" There was no way Diane didn't know.

"A lot." Diane replied grinning. "A whole lot. Enough that you can retire from nursing and concentrate on your painting."

Liz just arched a brow. "I like my job."

"I never said you didn't. From what I've heard, you are also very good at your job. Piph raves about you." Diane added on. "You are also insanely talented. Good nurses, great nurses are not hard to find. I know several. Artists of your talent are not."

"Get it all out." Liz could tell Diane wasn't done.

"The hospital is a security nightmare. None of the guys are going to tell you that. They don't have to tell you because you already know." Diane said being blunt. "Dr. Ford is not going to allow you to have a guard in the building which means Jason, Johnny, and Francis are going to be gray within a matter of weeks once you go back." The news that she was with Jason was out. "While it's true that Francis will be even sexier with gray hair, I'd rather it not come with a higher blood pressure."

Liz just had to laugh at how dramatic her friend was being. "If I leave I still need to serve out my two weeks. So some gray might still take place." She pointed out, although short term this wouldn't be that big of deal. Long term it presented problems because it gave someone time to watch her and figure out how to get to her. She'd probably get a covert shadow, but a visible guard was more of a deterrent. "You're right they won't ask me to leave, and yes they will worry."

"I'm also right about you being talented." Diane tacked on. "Think about it. Now open the check." May as well get that shock over with.

"Um." Liz said as her eyes got wide. "You said a lot and well I was expecting the zeros, but not the number that is in front of them." She looked at her lawyer. "It was just a graze."

"Which was taken into account. If you had been hurt worse the number would be higher." Diane was trying not to laugh at her friend. "Don't spend that all in one place." She couldn't help herself.

"I have no idea what to do with this much money. I really can't give any of it away?" Liz wanted to know.

"You can give the interest away." Diane pointed out a loop hole. "You have to keep the capital though."

"How do I explain where the money came from?" Liz also needed to pay taxes on this. So a trip to see one of the Abrahms brothers was definitely in her future.

"No clue." Diane said with a grin. "Bernie or Benny will know how to spin it so you don't lose too much to taxes." Even after making that payment Liz was going to really rich. "We should go shopping to celebrate. I can help you put a dent in that."

"We'd need to shop every day for the rest of my life to put a dent in this." Liz said looking down at the number again. "Does Jason know? Not about the check, but the amount."

"He does." Diane confirmed. "You can now accuse him of being with you for your money."

Liz just snorted. "I should go find him." She put the check away. It was a total mind trick but her purse actually felt heavier.

"Yes, you should. If he's left alone for too long he gets into trouble. I'm looking forward to dinner at The No Name tonight to celebrate the house." Jason had closed the establishment for the private party.

"Me too." Liz gave her friend a hug. "Thanks."

"Are you leaving the hospital?" Diane wanted to know.

"Jason and I will discuss it." Liz told her friend before going over to the door. They would discuss that, and the check in her purse.

* * *

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	12. Chapter 12

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 12

"Do not think that a sexy smile is going to get you out of the doghouse." Liz arched a brow at her guy. She waited until they were in the car to start talking. "You could have warned me."

"If I did you would have dug in before we even got into the office." Jason said still smiling at her. His girl was hot when she got all feisty.

"I'm really annoyed because that statement is true." He knew her well. "Do you want me to forgive him?" Liz asked her guy.

"I want you to make up your mind on your own. Which you will do anyway." He said before she could. "Also the money isn't a situation that involves me, directly. It's between you and Sonny. If you want advice, I would suggest you ask Diane. She will be a better source of guidance here than me."

"You didn't answer my question." Liz knew an avoidance tactic when she heard one.

"I did answer it." Jason's grin turned slick. "I just didn't give you a yes or no answer."

Liz leaned back in her seat. "Are you going to forgive him?" She tried that question.

"No." Jason didn't hesitate to answer. "We can't come back from this. I will get to a place where I don't want to kill him. Should only take about forty or so years."

"I have a check for thirty-five million dollars in my purse." Liz finally said the number out loud. "Do you want me to leave the hospital? Answer the question this time." She switched topics.

"Yes." Jason didn't beat around the bush. "It won't be safe for you to work there. I also don't want you to give up something you love. So I asked Diane to look into purchasing a building where we can create a free clinic. I don't want you to walk away from nursing because of me. I was thinking that you, and maybe Nadine, could get your nurse practitioner certifications. Then you could both see patients there." The clinic would be much easier to secure, and keep safe going forward. They knew that because Kelly left the hospital earlier in the year to run the women's clinic. Also with a regular work schedule Elizabeth would have more time to devote to her art.

"Nadine?" Liz loved that he was already thinking of how to keep her in nursing.

"Johnny is done." Jason said with a laugh. "We'll face the same issue with her, once they start dating, that we are dealing with now. So I included her in the planning."

Liz loved how the guys not only looked out for one another, but they looked out for the ladies too. "I could buy the clinic with my money."

"You don't have enough funds to get a clinic up and running." Jason let her know. "Besides if I buy it, I get to name it." He gave her a cheesy grin as he made a turn.

"Where are we going?" Liz asked him. She thought they would head over to the house.

"To see Bernie. You just got a check for thirty-five million dollars. It's not smart to walk around with it." Jason as he made another turn.

* * *

They sat in comfortable silence until they reached the accounting office. Jason helped her out of the car and she stole a kiss. "I'll serve notice when I go back to work. I'm not protecting you from Piph, and I'm blaming your mother for me leaving." Liz let him know. She could give him this.

"Thank you." Jason gave her another kiss. Diane would find a space for the clinic and Elizabeth could continue to serve the community. His girl wasn't going to lose anything. Not now, not ever.

"He's waiting for you." Bernie's assistant pointed over her shoulder.

"Thanks." Jason knocked on the partially opened door and when a voice shouted come in he escorted Elizabeth into the office. "Bernie."

"Jason." The CPA got to his feet. "Elizabeth, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Thank you." Liz replied taking a seat in front of the desk. "How is Cynthia?"

"She's wonderful." Bernie smiled at the mention of his wife. "How are you feeling?" The actions of his former boss had left both Abrahms brothers shaking their heads. They had been with the organization from early on and the events of the summer had still been shocking.

"I'm much better." Liz liked both of the accountants. She had known them since her days of waiting tables at Kelly's diner.

"And you are much wealthier." Bernie said getting them down to business. "Would you like some help with your sudden windfall? I won't be offended if want to go somewhere else."

"I'd love your help." Liz reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She felt a sense of relief handing it over.

"Let me tell you what I have planned and if you like it, I'll have you sign the check so we can get things moving." Bernie waited for Elizabeth to nod. The fact Jason was so silent wasn't surprising. Bernie laid out a plan of investment for a portion of the money, putting some in high yield accounts, and putting a smaller portion of the money in her personal accounts. Everything would be taking place off shore which would make the taxes lower.

What Elizabeth really liked was that the accounts would generate a good amount of interest each year and her investments should match that sum. All that money would be donated to the clinic to make sure no one got turned away. Each year she was hoping to increase the amount of money in that fund. Knowing that they were doing something for the community made accepting the check easier to swallow. "That sounds fantastic."

"In a few years when you have more money in the trust you are setting up, you can expand your giving. Money for the clinic, scholarships to college, artistic grants, the skies the limit." Bernie was only too happy to help her do this.

"I'd love to fund a grant at Port Charles University in my Gram's name." Liz said starting to dream bigger. She smiled at her guy. She was going to do as much good as possible with the money Sonny gave her.

"The hospitals in the area would love having more nurses." Jason was filled with pride. His girl was following in not only her grandparents' footsteps, but in his grandmother's as well. Port Charles was going to be a better place because Elizabeth Webber lived here. He dropped her a wink and turned his attention back to Bernie as he placed the first form that needed a signature on his desk.

"That would keep Piph from killing you." Liz said laughing as she took the pen and listened to Bernie explain what she was signing.

* * *

"Nervous?" Nadine was standing with her best friend waiting to enter the room where they were going to take their final exam. The last thing between them and their certifications. They spent four months in class studying for this moment, and then another month at Mercy hospital getting some hours.

They had both hoped to do their field training at General Hospital, but the luck of the draw sent them to the other medical center. At least they got to stay together. Because they were already nurses the amount of hours in the practical was much shorter than some of the fellow students. It was mark of their skill that they both got job officers when that practical was over.

The blonde nurse had served notice not long after Elizabeth did. After hearing about the plans for the clinic Nadine didn't hesitate to come on board. They signed up for their classes together so that they would have a support system. Nadine was also filling out financial aid forms to cover the expense but Liz ended up covering the cost.

At first Nadine felt like she was taking advantage of her friend's rich boyfriend, but then the petite brunette nurse explained where the money was coming from. Once she heard the story Nadine was ready to track down Sonny and get vengeance for her friend.

"No." Liz shook her head and sipped her hot chocolate. "We got this. We are badass. We are awesome. We are scared of Piph." The brunette nurse said looking at her friend and smiled. "She said we had better pass since we left her. I don't want to find out what will happen if we don't." The head nurse had given them her blessing to go. She hadn't been surprised that they were leaving because of the men in their lives. The fact that they were staying in the medical community made the older woman very happy. They were too good at what they did to retire completely.

"Good point. I have no intentions of disappointing Piph." Nadine agreed with her friend. "You guys doing anything for the holiday?" She asked mentioning the day.

"Staying in." Liz didn't make a really big fuss over Valentine's Day, so a night at home was fine. "What are you and Johnny doing?" They were now officially living together. The couple had their first date two nights after Nadine returned from her visit with her sister.

"Also staying in. Johnny said that Valentine's Day is one of the worst days to go out to a restaurant. He's cooking for me, don't be jealous." Nadine said dancing in place. Hank and Kyle laughed at her. Having a guard was still a little odd, but she was adjusting.

"He has to cook, because you can't." Liz said laughing at her friend.

"I happen to make a really good sandwich." Nadine replied pretending to be offended. "My peanut butter and jelly on wheat is legendary. Le-gen-dary."

"I'm sure that's why Johnny goes home for lunch most days." Liz said with a wicked grin.

Nadine just sipped her coffee and tried not to turn pink. "They are opening the door to the exam room. Ready?"

"Let's do this." Liz squared her shoulders and prepared to kick test butt.

* * *

"Hey." Jason walked into the house to find the lights lowered. As he entered the great room he saw flickering in the kitchen. Walking in he saw the table was set with candles. There was also music playing, so it was clear romance was taking place. He thought they were having a laid back evening in the house. "Something smells good."

"That is dinner." Liz was wearing oven mitts because the timer was about to ding. "I made steaks, potatoes au gratin, and a spinach salad. There is champagne chilling in the refrigerator and I stopped off downtown to pick up a raspberry trifle for dessert."

"I thought I was cooking tonight." Jason had a menu planned but they could have everything tomorrow night.

"I aced my exam." Liz said with a smile. The results wouldn't be available for six weeks, but she didn't need them. Both she and Nadine had crushed it. They celebrated by each getting a chocolate cupcake and eating them at the coffeehouse.

"Congratulations baby." Jason came over and gave her a kiss. "I'm not surprised. You're awesome like that."

"I am." Liz was so proud of herself. "Now I just have to wait for the clinic to open." They were set to open the doors on March first. There had been a little trouble with the city council when it came to buying the building. Diane was up to the battle, but in the end she had a special guest star helper that made this project move forward. Edward Quartermaine had thrown his full support behind his grandson's effort. One call and Mayor Floyd was making it clear to everyone that the city needed this.

The delay meant construction crews hadn't gotten into the building until January. Work had gone quickly and last week they started ordering equipment and supplies. Next week they were hiring two doctors, several nurses, and the support staff. Everything was coming together nicely.

"I think you getting your certification is worth a celebration." Jason stepped back when the timer beeped. He grabbed some mitts and took out the casserole dish out of one oven while his girl got the steaks from the other. "Since the meat needs to rest I'm going to go get something."

"Okay. I'll grab the champagne." Liz took off her oven mitts.

"I'll open it when I get back." Jason said before going to this home office. He opened the safe and grabbed a legal envelope. He had planned on giving this to his girl next week, but tonight was too perfect to pass up. "This is for you." He said handing it over.

"What is it?" Liz didn't have anything for him.

"It's not a gift." Jason knew how she thought. "It's the paperwork for the clinic."

"Okay." Liz said pulling out the sheath of papers. The first thing that caught her attention was the building had been purchased in her name. "I own the clinic?" She asked stunned. "I thought you owned it."

"No." Jason never intended to own it. He knew the moment her eyes moved far enough down the page to see the name of the clinic. She blinked trying to keep the tears from falling, but they wouldn't be denied.

"The Steven Hardy Memorial Clinic." Liz said finally able to speak again. "Jason, thank you. I thought you were going to name it after Lila." Which would have been fine. Lila had done so much for this city that she deserved to have as many things as possible with her name on it.

"She's got the charitable foundation and the atrium at the arboretum." Jason said holding his girlfriend close. "Your grandfather is why the hospital is what it is. He put his heart into it, and I know one of the things he was passionate about was that everyone should be able to get medical care if they needed it. That was why you decided to go into medicine too, because you have that same passion. Now thanks to you, even more people will be cared for. He would be so proud of you."

Liz just started crying harder at his words. Her grandparents were her heroes growing up. Even more than her parents, they inspired and shaped her outlook on life. They were the reason she wanted to go into medicine. Her grandmother had been a respected nurse, and Piph's mentor. The greatest compliment Liz ever got was when her former boss said that she was a nurse worthy of her last name. "Thank you." She just couldn't think of anyone else to say.

Jason knew what was in her heart. He didn't need her to say anything else. He was proud to stand behind her while she worked to make their city a better place for the people who lived here. The clinic was in a neighborhood that wasn't being served by any other doctors. It was needed, and Elizabeth had been adamant that was where they had to be. His name would keep her, the rest of the staff, and the building safe so he wasn't worried about that. He also knew that the community leaders were thrilled to have the clinic coming. They were going to work hard to make sure it was a success. "I love you, and I'm proud of you." He wanted her to know.

"I love you too. I'm so proud to have you in my life." Liz smiled at him. No matter what her dreams were, he made them come true. "Let me go wash my face, and we can start our celebration."

"Sounds good." Jason said letting her go. While she was gone he would take the food over to the table and open the champagne.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews!


	13. Chapter 13

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

Not Safe For Work

* * *

Chapter 13

The wolf whistle had her turning and grinning. "Did Johnny teach you that?" Liz asked her boyfriend arching a brow.

"Kelly." Jason replied getting up from the sofa. "She's a really bad influence."

"I know that. I used to work with her." Liz said laughing. The ob/gyn was as loud and outrageous as her boyfriend was calm and subtle. It might seem like an odd pairing to some, but it worked. They brought out the best in one another. "You're wearing a tie."

"This is a party being thrown by Diane. I have to wear a tie or hear about it until the next party she throws." Jason hated them, but his lawyer would comment if it was missing.

"I can tell her I told you to leave it home. My opinion is more important than hers." Liz would do that for her guy. He was in head to toe black and looked all kinds of yummy. He wore a fitted suit to perfection. She was going to have to control herself until they got back home.

"It's fine." Jason assured his girlfriend. Diane wasn't the reason he had the tie on, but Elizabeth didn't need to know that just yet. He wanted to look nice tonight. "You look very sexy." He said bobbing his eyebrows.

"Thank you. I thought you might like this dress, so I decided to pull it out of the closet." Liz turned so he could see the entire garment. "I like it because it makes my butt look amazing." The dark green silk crepe dress had cap sleeves and V neckline with a keyhole cut out. The pencil skirt bottom stopped right at her knees, and helped to show off her figure. Yes that included her bottom, which she knew Jason enjoyed looking at.

He was going to be staring at her all night. That meant the guys would tease him unmercifully. Jason just couldn't help it. When Elizabeth was in the room, his eyes had to be on her. "The dress gives off a naughty secretary vibe."

"I happen to be very good with a computer." Elizabeth said playing along. "Maybe later I'll show you my dictation skills." She said dropping him a wink before sauntering from the room. It was going to be a long night with her on a low simmer, but when they got back home her guy would no doubt take care of that.

"Stay focused Morgan." Jason told himself. "Skipping the party is not an option." He took a deep breath to get himself back under control and picked up the neatly wrapped gift that was on the coffee table. They needed to leave now to be on time. Besides the sooner they left then the sooner they could return home.

* * *

"Have I mentioned how much I like your girlfriend?" Johnny asked with a grin.

"Do I need to worry?" Francis replied laughing.

"No. I'm very happy with Nadine, and to be honest Diane would run me into the ground. I have no problem admitting that. I mentioned liking her because we are at your anniversary party and the game is on." Johnny pointed to the television that had been set up on one side of the dining room of Polluzo's. The restaurant was closed for this private party.

"I like sports. Diane likes for me to be happy." Francis knew he was spoiled. His team had gone deeper in the tournament than expected and with this game being so important Diane didn't want him missing it. He was making sure to be a good host in between checking the score. "I'm a lucky bastard."

"Yes, you are. I know what that looks like because I am too." Johnny said with a grin. "Here comes another lucky bastard. We can form a club."

"Congrats." Jason shook Francis's hand. "We got you guys a really nice gift." He didn't know that there were guides for anniversaries. It would make shopping for their various friends much easier.

"You mean Elizabeth got a nice gift and you signed the card. You can admit it, because that is totally what I did." Johnny confessed. "Nadine's taste is much better than mine." The gift had marked the occasion of their first real argument because he used the opportunity to present his lovely, and stubborn, girlfriend with a credit card. One she didn't want to take. It took almost a day to get her to accept it and so far the only thing she'd purchased was the gift Johnny carried into the restaurant tonight.

"We all do it." Francis laughed at the joke. "Mainly because all our ladies have better taste than we do." Also Diane enjoyed shopping while he did not. "How are you feeling?" Francis looked Jason over. He didn't look nervous even though that was probably the case.

"Okay." Jason wasn't worried about his girlfriend's response. He was worried about sounding like an idiot. He didn't practice because when the moment came he knew the words would fly out of his head. So instead he was going to speak from his heart when he asked Elizabeth to marry him. He just needed to find the right moment. He wasn't originally going to do it tonight, because it was Francis and Diane's night, but they gave him their blessing. Diane said it would be the best gift they could get.

"She's going to say yes." Johnny had gone with Jason to pick out the ring. It was one of the rare occasions where he hadn't made any smart comments. It was a serious thing getting an engagement ring, and he wanted to offer his best friend his support. And take notes, because in the not too distant future this would be him and Nadine.

"I know." Jason said looking over his shoulder to where his girl was standing talking to some of the other ladies. She must have sensed him because she turned and smiled. She was going to be Elizabeth Morgan, and he couldn't wait for that to happen.

* * *

Dinner was served, Diane and Francis said a few words thanking everyone for coming out, and then the dance floor was opened. A lot of their friends were enjoying the music so that meant Jason and Elizabeth currently had their table to themselves. A slow song came on and he looked over at his girlfriend. He could ask her to dance, but he didn't because the moment had arrived.

"Having a good night?" Jason asked covering her hand with his.

"I'm having a great time." Liz smiled at her guy. "I'm with you, I don't need anything else to make the night wonderful."

"I have something that I think can make the night even better." Jason said smiling. His nerves calmed now that he was about to present her with the ring he selected.

"That sounds mysterious." Liz loved it when he got in a playful mood.

"Only a little." He said reaching into his pocket. "Close your eyes for me."

"Okay." Liz did as he asked. She was very curious and had to fight to keep her eyelids from flying up. As an unabashed box shaker surprises got her very excited.

He put the box on the table and opened it, placing it so that she would see it when she opened her eyes. "I love you, you know that right?"

"I do know that." Liz didn't hesitate to reply. She didn't return the sentiment because she understood that he wanted his words to stand on their own.

"Open your eyes." Jason said his voice getting husky with emotion. "I want a lifetime with you Elizabeth. I want to go to sleep each night and wake up each morning with you beside me. I want to share whatever life brings me, the good and the bad. I want to watch our children and grandchildren grow, with you by my side. And when it's time for me to leave this world I want to know I spent my life being loved by the most amazing women ever."

"Jason." Liz said blinking back tears.

"Will you marry me?" Jason asked softly. There wasn't anything else he needed to say in this moment.

"Yes." Liz squeezed Jason's hand. "I want to experience everything you just described." Leaning forward she gave him a soft kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jason had to say the words again. "Do you like the ring?" She hadn't even looked at it yet.

Looking down Liz's eyes got wide. "Wow. It's stunning."

"Can I put it on you?" Jason wanted to know. The second he saw the cushion cut ruby in the custom diamond mounting he knew that this was the ring he was seeking. The sizing only took a few hours and Eric had it ready for him to pick up.

"Yes." Liz held out her hand and watched with joy in her heart as he slide the ring on her finger. "I didn't see this coming. I mean not tonight."

"I got Francis's and Diane's blessings. I wouldn't horn in on their night without their permission." Jason assured his fiancée. He really liked that he could call Elizabeth that.

"I'm glad they said it was okay, because now I can show off my ring to all our friends." Liz said with a smile. She wanted everyone to know that she was marrying Jason. Leaning forward she kissed him again.

"Get a room." Johnny said coming back to the table with Nadine.

"Can't a girl kiss her fiance if she wants?" Liz responded trying to keep a straight face. In case they missed the hint she held up her hand.

"Oh my god!" Nadine came around and hugged her friend hard. "Congratulations." She looked at the ring. "That's gorgeous."

Liz was nodding as Johnny kissed her cheek.

"Date?" Johnny was shaking Jason's hand.

"We've been engaged for like ten minutes." Jason pointed out.

"Slacker." Johnny said slapping his friend on the back. "Just make sure I'm on the invite list."

"I'll see if we have room. This is going to be the event of the season. Me in a tux is a major draw." Jason said with a smirk. He glanced at the dance floor and noticed that Francis was looking over. Jason nodded to let his friend know that the question had been popped and that Elizabeth said yes. In response their friends left the dance floor. "Nadine is a shoe in, you I need to think about. I don't want troublemakers at the wedding."

"You're just worried I'll look better than in you in the pictures." Was Johnny's reply.

"Congratulations." Diane gave Liz a big hug before turning her attention to the ring. "Lovely. A ruby." She had been expecting to see a diamond. Mob guys tended to be surprisingly traditional.

"Jason gave me the most stunning piece of red glass from Murano." Liz knew why he had picked this stone. "The gem represents that."

"Really?" Diane went through her mental catalog trying to remember a piece of red glass art.

"I don't display it." Liz said with a knowing smile. "I keep it private." Which let everyone know they still wouldn't be getting a glimpse at it.

Jason had shown her the piece of glass during a visit to her studio. It was actually an extra bit left over from a newly formed vase. Something about the color called to him and he asked to buy it. When Elizabeth smiled as she examined it in the sunlight he knew why he was meant to acquire it. So that he could give it to her. The joy on her face when he told her to keep it made him feel like a hero. That was typical of his girl, the smallest things moved her the most.

"Congrats." Francis shook Jason's hand before kissing Liz's cheek. "Be happy."

"We will." Liz said looking over at her guy. "Thank you for letting us share your night."

"The more good things there are to celebrate the better." Diane wasn't interested in marriage, and neither was Francis. They were committed to one another, and in it for life; that was good enough for them. "Feel free to show that ring off to everyone here. When are we shopping for the dress?"

"How about next Sunday afternoon?" Liz was working this Saturday. She and Nadine traded off the weekend day, and they both had Sundays off because the clinic was closed.

"Perfect. The guys can amuse themselves with sports." Diane's calendar was clear.

"Can you make it that day Nadine?" Liz wanted to know. Both her friends would be in the wedding party.

"I can." The blonde nurse practitioner replied. She was thinking that sometime soon she and Johnny would be getting engaged. They were already talking about children, but marriage would come first. "It's going to be fun."

"Let me tell the bartender to get out some more champagne." Diane wanted to toast her friends' happiness.

"Okay." Liz figured that would alert other folks, and they would come over to see what was up. Glancing down she saw her ring and smiled. She was going to be Elizabeth Morgan. How amazing was that?

* * *

They walked in the house hand in hand. It dawned on Liz that when they left earlier in the night she had been Jason's girlfriend, now she was his fiancée. His future wife, which made him her future husband. "I'll meet you upstairs." Elizabeth knew he would want to walk through the house first. They had guards watching the grounds, but that was just how her guy was.

"I won't be long." Jason said giving her a kiss. He watched her go up before making sure the house was locked up, and then putting his gun away. When he got to their bedroom he was greeted with the most wonderful sight. His girl stretched across the bed with nothing on.

"I didn't want to have anything on but your ring for the rest of the night." Liz said giving him a smile. "I kind of like this look."

"I'm a big fan of this look." Jason said removing his jacket and going to work on his shirt. He took the tie off in the car.

From the bed Liz simply enjoyed the show that was Jason getting undressed. Lucky her she got to see this almost every night. The man was in top shape and he wasn't burdened with a lot of modesty so him walking around shirtless or naked happened a lot. When he was down to his skin he walked over to the bed and joined her. "I'm glad you're here. I'm chilly."

"We can't have that." Jason said pulling her closer so that they were touching down the length of their bodies. "I'd be happy to warm you up." He said as his hands moved down her back and over her firm bottom. Her skin was so soft and he loved touching her. All night he had been waiting to have her to himself. Dipping his head he took her lips for a sensual kiss. "When can I marry you?" He wanted to know. Hopefully she didn't want a very long engagement.

"December, any day but Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Year's Eve." She didn't want to get married on a holiday. "How does that sound?"

"Perfect. I can wait that long. You plan the wedding, and I'll plan the honeymoon." He would of course give an opinion if it was requested. However he wanted the day to be her dream come true.

"That sounds great." Liz said letting her hand move over his shoulder and down his arm. "And like something we can talk about at a later time."

Jason got the hint and leaned in to kiss his fiancée again. "I love your lips." He said before moving down. "I love this little dent on your chin." He let his lips drift across it. "I love this spot right here." His lips settled in the hollow of her throat, which made her laugh. He knew this was a ticklish spot which was why he always made sure to give it some attention.

"Don't stop." Liz said a bit breathlessly. "Ohhhh." She had to moan when his lips covered one of her nipples.

"I love your breasts. Have I ever told you that?" Jason asked before switching sides. He had made it so she couldn't answer him. At least not with words, he could tell from the way her body was moving that she was enjoying herself.

She took a moment to catch her breath as Jason kissed her tummy. Before moving between her thighs and stealing her breath once more. The man's tongue was destroying her every time it moved over her center. Her fingers were twisted in the sheets as her hips moved in ecstasy. She shattered screaming out his name and when he finally moved Liz just slumped against the mattress breathing hard.

Jason loved it when she screamed because the passion was so intense. Her screaming his name made him hard enough to hurt. Being inside her was the only thing that would bring him relief. "Ready?" He asked kissing her stomach again. Her essence was sweet on his tongue and the light sheen of sweat on her skin added a salty element. She was just so tasty.

"Yes." Liz said in response as she ran her fingers through his short hair. Making a fist and tugging she urged his mouth back up as his body took possession of hers. He was stroking deep as their lips mated. When the breath burned in her lungs she threw her head back panting in pleasure as he pushed her high once more.

Jason moaned as his hands caged her hips, raising her higher and pulling her closer so that he could plunge deeper. Sometimes when they made love it felt like he couldn't get close enough to her or deep enough inside her body. His head dropped to her shoulder as he stroked harder making her whimper. The sounds she made were a serious turn on and his hips pump faster in response. She climaxed and the tightness of her inner muscles on his cock sent him soaring. He turned his face into her neck and let her scent surround him while her arms were holding him close.

This was their now and their forever. Neither one was ever letting go.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews!


	14. Chapter 14

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 14

"Are you going to be okay?" Francis asked his boss. Jason had been quiet, even for him, this morning.

"I'm not going to kill him. That's why I had all of you come with me. To make sure that I could keep my promise." Jason replied watching as the plane rolled to a stop. "I figure it would take more than one person to pull me off of him, if I snap." Which was a real possibility. Today for the first time in his life he was experiencing mood swings. Between really calm and murderous rage.

"You probably should have brought someone who thinks you not killing him is a good idea then. I have a few people from out of town I can call if you like." Johnny pointed out, not being sarcastic but being one hundred percent real. There wasn't a man here that would move to halt Jason if he reached for his gun.

"He's only here for two days." Cody said telling himself to keep his temper in check. However those days were going to be long because Cody was assigned to watch his former boss.

"We just have to make sure he doesn't die of anything while he's here. I don't think the Don will swallow the claim of it being an accident. Unless we can get a lightning bolt to hit him." Johnny said as the plane rolled to a stop. Too bad there was no rain in the forecast.

The rumblings around the territory was that a lot of their guys were still pissed that Sonny killed Gary, almost killed Lee, and shot Liz. Someone would take a shot if they thought they could get away with it. Jason had made it clear that they wouldn't, so don't even try.

The plane door opened and the four men watched as Sonny came down the stairs. "Did you know that Shawn was coming?" Francis asked Jason. His boss just shook his head no. The older Italian thought it was smart of Maximus to send his enforcer. That way Jason wasn't responsible for Sonny while he was in Port Charles.

Shawn wasn't alone. He had two other guys with him, probably a security crew. Jason's blue gaze tracked the four men as they walked across the tarmac. "Sonny." The blonde mob boss said in a very frigged voice.

"Jason." Sonny could barely look his former partner in the eye. "Thank you for allowing me to return." There were people he needed to speak to before leaving Port Charles for good. If Jason had just had the rest of Greystone packed up and everything shipped to Italy he would have been within his rights.

"It wasn't my decision. I don't want you in my city. Elizabeth was the one who gave her permission for you to return." Jason's tone hadn't gotten any warmer during this short conversation.

"Please tell her thank you." Sonny knew Jason would not give his permission for a meeting with Liz to happen. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask how she was doing, but he stopped short. Something told him going there would see Jason snapping. The younger man was barely holding it together now.

"Claire is waiting for you in her office." Francis took over the conversation. "We figured get the legal stuff done first and get it over with." That way if Sonny had to go back to see his soon to be former attorney he could do that tomorrow. "There is a suite waiting for you at the Metro Court. We weren't aware you guys were coming." Francis told Shawn.

"We have rooms reserved on the same floor as Sonny's." Shawn explained. "I was thinking I could ride into the city with Jason." So they could talk.

"That won't be a problem." Jason said before turning and heading to his car. Standing that close to Sonny any longer was a recipe for disaster.

"This is Al and Phil, they are assigned to Sonny." Shawn made introductions. "Listen to Cody." He told his guys.

"My car is this way." Cody tilted his head. "Let's get you checked into your rooms."

* * *

Johnny and Francis had come in with Jason so they walked with Shawn to the black SUV. Jason had driven, but since Shawn wanted to talk he got into the backseat after tossing the keys to O'Brien. "The Don wishes me to express his apologizes for sending us without prior notification." The security crew was a last minute addition.

"It's fine." Jason didn't care about that. Some other bosses might, thinking the Don was looking for something, but he was secure in his leadership. "Why are you here?" He meant the enforcer specifically. The two guards and guys from Jason's organization would have been fine.

Shawn liked dealing with Jason, the man was very straight forward. "Two reasons. One personal and the other is business."

"What business are you here to conduct?" Jason had the right to ask because Shawn was in his territory. Of course the enforcer might just have caught a ride to the states and could be leaving the territory to do what Maximus needed. If that was the case then no answer would be forthcoming.

"Maximus wanted me to tell you that Sonny is being given a territory, in Italy." Shawn leaned back in his seat.

"For how long?" Jason got that Maximus wanted Sonny close so he could watch him.

"Permanently." Shawn passed along.

"Sonny's recovery is not going well?" Francis asked from the front. He and O'Brien also got the unspoken message.

"It is going well." Shawn let the three of them know. "However Maximus is worried about Sonny's ego and temper leading him astray again. The Zaccharas were not the first family that your former partner almost went to war with since his diagnosis." That was key. Maximus wasn't going to hold the Rivera incident against Sonny because no one knew the Cuban mob boss needed medical help. "This is a pattern of behavior that the Don has seen is not related to your former partner's diagnosis. As a result, from this point on Corinthos's reach will be a lot shorter."

Jason just nodded. Sonny's past actions were coming back home to roost.

"Maximus has also told Sonny that he is not to return to New York for any reason without permission. When I say New York I don't just mean your territory, I mean the entire state." Shawn went into some of the other restrictions the older mob boss faced. "Nor is Sonny to request an alliance with your organization. He can however bring in goods through your docks if you allow it." Shawn didn't see them doing business together though. Sonny would have to pick another harbor on the east coast.

"Really?" Jason was surprised by that. He had no desire to do business with Sonny, but he wasn't expecting the Don to say that.

"Off the record." Shawn said with a wide grin that showed off his even teeth. "Maximus thinks that the more contact Sonny has with you the greater the odds are that you will take him out. He's smart like that." The enforcer said before laughing.

Johnny laughed at that announcement too. That was why Maximus was in charge. The man was sharp. The no alliance decree kept both Sonny and Jason safe.

"Anything else?" Jason wanted to know. He was going to do his best to not think about Sonny for the next two days. If Elizabeth wasn't working he would have suggested they go away.

"Not on the business front." Shawn wanted to see if Jason was going to ask about the personal business.

"He's not going to ask." Johnny said from up front. He and Shawn went way back, so he knew what the other man was thinking.

"It's kind of fascinating that you have no curiosity about things." Shawn said being honest. He knew the blonde well enough that he could speak his mind.

"I do get curious about things." Jason said with a smirk. He spent a lot of time thinking about what Elizabeth might be up to, especially when she asked him to give her a few minutes before coming up to the bedroom. That usually meant a great surprise for him. "Just not about other people's business."

"I'm curious." Johnny didn't hesitate to say.

"I'm curious too." Francis said chuckling. With Shawn based in Italy it was odd that he would have personal business on this side of the Atlantic. His family wasn't even on the east coast, he had been born and raised in Chicago.

"Thank goodness, I was starting to feel boring." Shawn said laughing. He was actually happy to be able to share this news. "Leyla Mir is moving to Palermo and I came over so that she didn't have to fly to Italy alone."

"You and Leyla?" Johnny asked surprised. "How did I miss that? She's one of my girl's close friends." He knew that Liz was close to Leyla too.

"We would have put her under our protection." Jason told Shawn.

"Up until now we've just been friends. I met her when I was here last year. The trip before the Sonny and Anthony mess." Shawn had enjoyed getting to know the nurse. "We're ready for more and she agreed to uproot her entire life to see if this is going to work. I'll be here about two weeks or so while she wraps up her time in the states."

"Congratulations. Leyla is very nice. I know her through Elizabeth. My plane is available for when you are ready to leave." Jason let his friend know. The Don's plane would be used to take Sonny home.

"Thank you. That will make things easier." Shawn knew that Leyla was traveling with quite a few bags. She had down sized her life as much as possible, but there were things she needed. Also he hated flying commercial due to the security risks that could occur.

"Do you need us to protect you from Epiphany?" Francis wanted to know. The head nurse was losing another staff member.

"My girl mentioned that I will want to avoid Nurse Johnson. The only time I've ever met her is when she sedated Sonny. She seemed nice but given her access to drugs I am taking the warning to heart." Shawn said laughing again. They were pulling up in front of the hotel. "I'll let you know the exact departure date."

"We'll probably see each other again before you leave. Elizabeth or Nadine will more than likely arrange a going away dinner for Leyla." Jason wasn't sure if his girl knew her friend was leaving. Although with the nurse getting ready to serve notice, or having already done so, the news would get out. "I can't protect her at work, but I can assign someone to her while she is outside the hospital until you leave."

"Thank you. I look forward to the dinner party. Hopefully it will be casual as I didn't pack any suits. Although I'm sure O'Brien can tell me where to shop." Shawn said before getting out of the vehicle to go into the hotel. He would be extended the courtesy of not having an escort during his time in Port Charles because Jason trusted him.

"We'll take you back to your office so you can get your car." Francis's eyes met Jason's in the rearview mirror. "Then you can go home." For the next two days the blonde mob boss would be working from his house, just to avoid any accidental encounters with Sonny. Them bumping into one another, especially if Jason was with Liz, could end badly. "Stay put." It was a straight up command.

"Yes dad." Jason had no intention of doing anything to piss off Maximus. "I need to plan the honeymoon trip, so I'll be occupied. I still haven't settled on a destination yet." They had been engaged for almost three months now and he had five more months until the wedding. He wasn't sure he was going to make it, he was ready to get married now. But his girl wanted a December wedding and she was going to get it.

"How many locations are you looking at?" Johnny knew that Jason was batting a few ideas around.

"I've narrowed it down to two." Jason said keeping the information close to his vest. The guys would have to know once he made up his mind. Security had to be arranged. But for now no one got any clues. "Francis will be the first to know when I decide." Once Jason became the only boss, he named Johnny as his second in command and made Francis his head of security. Realistically they both had the same amount of power within the organization but Francis wanted the position he currently held. He liked the challenge that came with keeping everything secure, and he was good at it.

Francis just grinned at Johnny. "Be nice and I might tell you." He was going to hold off for as long as possible, just to irritate his friend.

"I need to know before he actually leaves." Johnny knew what Francis was going to do.

"I'll tell you before that happens." Francis said with an evil chuckle. "As they are walking up the stairs to the plane I'll lean over and whisper it to you."

In the backseat Jason grinned at his friends and tried not to think about Sonny being back in Port Charles.

* * *

In his office Jason grabbed two travel guides and took a seat on the sofa. His girl had done a great job decorating the entire house. The space was a reflection of them both in most rooms. This one was all him in terms of color and décor. Meaning his desk was here along with a nice chair, there was some necessary office equipment like file cabinets, this couch, and a large television mounted on the wall. That was it. Considering the size of the room she could have added more furniture, but had commented that it would only be wasted. Elizabeth knew him well.

The two books had been picked up yesterday. He wanted the most up to date information for planning this trip. The honeymoon destination list had started out with ten locations on it. Slowly that number had been whittled down. The only surprise for anyone who might have looked at it was that Italy wasn't on it.

Elizabeth very much wanted to see the country. Something he knew. Since he had a business trip scheduled in January that wish was going to come true. Which was why they weren't going in December. He would show her Palermo and one other region while they were there. In fact each time they went over he would show her more of the country.

So for their honeymoon they would visit another part of the world. The list now only held Bora Bora and Fiji. Both would mean a long time in the air with the first location being a few hours closer. They would be in the Morgan jet so the flight would be comfortable. At some point they would retire to the bedroom but with the guys on board he doubted sex would happen, so he would book them a hotel room for after the wedding. Edward could help him with that.

"Make a choice Morgan." Jason muttered to himself. He still had more research to do, but had done enough to realize they would enjoy themselves in either location. Both vacation spots were also under the control of friends of his. So they would be safe.

When in doubt flip a coin. Which of course he didn't have. In the kitchen he got a quarter from the change jar. Back in his office he looked at the books on the couch. "Heads Bora Bora, tails Fiji." He flipped the silver disc and let it land on the floor. "Decision made." He said putting one book away and settling in to read the other.

* * *

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	15. Chapter 15

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter 15

After Sonny checked into his hotel room the first thing he did was call Mike. During their shared time in Port Charles they had a rocky relationship, but Sonny wanted to do better going forward. His dad wasn't looking to relocate, but was open to visits. Regular phone calls were also agreed upon, staying in touch was a must.

Next on his list was a call to Michael. Once the little boy left New York, Sonny pushed his son out of his mind. You would think that calls to check in were happening considering the older mob boss was running around vowing vengeance in Michael's name. Only that wasn't the case. Nor were the claims true. Sonny did all this for himself, something the doctors in Italy made sure to point out. Accepting that had been one of the first steps in getting better. It was a hard pill to swallow though.

When all the personal business was over he went to see Claire and finished up the last of his legal business here in Port Charles. Greystone would have a new owner this time next week, the legal businesses that he owned apart from Jason would change hands around the same time, and Kelly's was purchased to be turned over to Mike. Sonny was serious about doing better by his dad. Since Mike wouldn't take any money the business would make sure he had an income and a roof over his head.

From his attorney's office Sonny went to see the Abrahms brothers to have them transfer his funds to his new Italian accountants. Once this trip was completed he had no intentions of returning to the states at all. Italy was going to be an opportunity for a new life. Sonny was honest with himself that of all the people on the planet he was the last who deserved yet another chance, but he was getting it nonetheless.

It was almost three when he and his guards returned to the Metro Court. They escorted him to his room, where he sat patiently waiting for about forty-five minutes before approaching the door to his suite. From his pocket he pulled a jammer. It had been in pieces in his luggage and was easily assembled after he unpacked. With any surveillance equipment disabled he quickly walked from his room and entered the emergency stairwell that led to an exit off the lobby.

Outside he didn't even bother to look back to see if the guards noticed him leaving but quickly walked to the corner. If they were behind him they would just tackle him and drag him back to the room. Since he was now two blocks away from the hotel it appeared that they didn't know he was gone.

Of all the things he could do during this visit this was probably the stupidest. It might even cause him to be put back on a plane tonight. Or cost him his life. Just because Jason couldn't pull the trigger didn't mean Shawn had the same orders. Sonny didn't care, he needed to do this, he needed to see Elizabeth. An apology for hurting her had to be given. The money from his accounts wasn't enough to show how sorry he was. He had to look in her eyes and tell her that he never meant to shoot her. The guilt from that single action was haunting him.

A few innocent questions to Claire had been all that was needed to learn that Jason's fiancée no longer worked at the hospital. Considering it was a security nightmare that didn't surprise the Cuban mob boss, nor was the fact that she made the change surprising. Liz would do just about anything for Jason. After a twenty-five minute walk, where he noted some changes in the city he had spent so much of his life in, he found himself across the street from the newest clinic to serve the area.

He was waiting for the light to change when someone spoke to him.

"This is a very bad idea." Shawn told the mob boss. Just the fact that Sonny was standing here said that he had huge balls. And that the Don had made the right choice in keeping the older man close.

Sonny turned and faced Maximus's enforcer. "Where did you come from? You didn't follow me here." Spotting a tail was a skill the mob boss had. Just because the guys from Palermo weren't following him didn't mean Jason's guys weren't. So yeah Sonny had been checking.

"I've been sitting over on that bench waiting for you to show up." Shawn said like it was a given that Sonny was headed here. The park across the street from the clinic was very nice. While he was sitting and enjoying the sunshine some staff members and workers from other shops had come out to take their breaks. "Its clear you have a problem with rules. I'm guessing Maximus is going to want to talk to you about that when you get back to Italy. Our ride is this way." Shawn pointed down the street.

"I just want to apologize." Sonny explained why he was here.

"Saying I'm sorry doesn't make up for terrorizing and then shooting someone." Shawn told the other man. "That's more of a fruit and wine basket thing. Ms. Webber doesn't want to hear from you. She has put the incident behind her and moved on with her life. You showing up and bringing those memories back to the surface is not even close to being fair to her. In fact it's downright selfish. Some people might say it's you once again putting your feelings before everyone else's. What I can say with one hundred percent certainty is that neither Jason nor Maximus will be happy if you upset her." Shawn pointed up the street. "Our ride is waiting."

Without another word Sonny turned and walked away from the clinic. Behind the wheel Cody was waiting for them. Jason's enforcer didn't say anything, but he started the car and pulled out from the parking space. They rode through downtown and when Cody stopped the car they were back at the Morgan private airstrip. The trip was over.

* * *

"Your guards will be going back with you." Shawn explained before they got out of the car. "I told them to stand down if you tried to leave the building and call me. I was hoping you would be smarter, but I wasn't counting on it. You'll be going to Palermo so that Maximus can tell you what your little trip has cost you." The punishment would have been worse if Sonny actually managed to make contact with Ms. Webber.

The three men got out of the car and Shawn nodded to Johnny and Jason who were both waiting. O'Brien's job was to keep his boss from killing his former partner, although the Don would probably give Jason a pass just this once if he did so. "Maximus is aware of what happened today." Shawn passed along before stepping aside.

Jason walked over to where Sonny was standing. It was important to make sure he left Port Charles alive. Jason wasn't going to prison for putting the arrogant son of a bitch in the ground and there was no way that the PCPD wasn't paying attention to Sonny being here. "If you ever attempt to approach Elizabeth again, I will kill you where you stand." The message was delivered through clenched teeth and Jason's blue eyes were flat with rage. "This is the only warning you are going to get. Do not return here, do not visit any territory I control. If I even get so much of a whiff of you asking about Elizabeth at any point in the future, I will end you without hesitation."

"I just wanted to say I was sorry." Sonny told the man he had at one time looked at as a brother. There had been space between them before, but unlike that time there was no coming back from this.

"Fuck you and your apology!" Jason said feeling his temper slip. "You could have killed her. You chose to stop taking your medication because you felt the drugs were keeping you from getting revenge on Anthony." Jason hadn't been given much information on Sonny's treatment in Italy, but that had been passed on. "Dr. Winters told you what would happen, that you would end up back in the same state you were in when you ordered the hit on Johnny but you didn't give a fuck about anything but what you wanted. Michael was shot because of you, Gary and Kate are dead because of you, Lee almost died because of you, and I could have lost Elizabeth because of your fucking ego!" Months of repressed rage were bubbling to the surface.

In the hanger the guys just let Jason go.

There wasn't anything Sonny could say, Jason was right. The truly sad part about all of this was that while Sonny did know the consequences of halting his medication, everything that happened this summer was set in motion before he ditched his pills. When he had John Zacchara snatched Sonny had still be following his doctor's instructions. That decision had been pure and simple ego. It was done to show Anthony who ran this portion of New York. Sonny's need to be top dog took them to the brink of war.

Jason was done here. He turned to walk over to Johnny, but paused and then spun back nailing Sonny in the face with a balled up fist. "That's for the nightmares Elizabeth suffered through after you shot her." Jason told his former friend before punching him again, this time hard enough to knock him out. He looked over at the waiting guards. "Put him on the plane." They picked up an unconscious Sonny and did as instructed. "I don't want Elizabeth to know he was anywhere near her." He told Johnny before looking over at Shawn. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Shawn couldn't help but wonder how long it would be before someone took Sonny out. Ego that large always resurfaced, and Corinthos wasn't showing signs that he learned anything from all of this.

"You don't have to cut your trip short." Jason wanted Shawn to know that he wasn't being lumped in with Sonny. When the enforcer nodded the blonde mob boss crossed over to his car and got in the passenger seat. He was too upset to drive. "Where is Elizabeth?" Her shift was over but that didn't mean she was on her way home. Often she stayed past her listed hours.

"She's still at the clinic." Johnny had checked when they arrived at the airstrip. "She's arranging some tests for a patient. Kyle expects that they will leave within the next fifteen minutes or so. There are no errands planned after work ends."

Jason nodded. "I can't go home just yet. I need to level out some."

"The range or the gym?" Johnny was up for either.

"The gym, I don't want to smell like gunpowder." Jason had a locker of workout clothes at the Towers because it was close to the warehouse in case he wanted to exercise at lunch.

"Sounds like a plan." Johnny put the car in gear and pulled off.

* * *

"I'm not going to miss Sonny. Things since he left have been so calm." Cody was leaning against the front of his car as they waited for the plane to taxi.

"Based on today I don't think he'll be in Italy for very long. If another family head doesn't take him out, I think Maximus will." Shawn told his friend. "I don't see the Don putting up with much more nonsense from Sonny."

"Won't be a loss." Cody commented as the plane began to roll forward. "You seeing your lady tonight?"

"No. She's working." Shawn stood up as the plane left the ground.

"Kelly isn't home right now. She and her sister are terrorizing their parents." Cody said laughing. He was missing her something fierce. "Want to come over and watch the game?"

"Absolutely." Shawn usually had to record games and then watch it later due to time differences. "Can we get pizza? I miss New York pizza."

"Yup." Cody would order as soon as they got to his place.

* * *

"I'm in the kitchen!" Liz yelled when she heard the front door close. Jason wasn't home when she arrived, even though he was working from the house, so she had started dinner. The note on the coffeemaker said he wouldn't be late.

She loved this kitchen, it had inspired her to branch out with her cooking. Thankfully she had a lot of friends with amazing culinary skills who didn't mind helping her. It also helped that she had her pick of places to call for takeout when her efforts were less than successful.

"Hey. Dinner smells good." Jason came over and wrapped his arms around her. His lips met hers for a sweet kiss. He was still on edge but coming back home and being here with his girl had him relaxing fully.

"I made chicken with brown rice and a broccoli carrot medley." Liz tried to make healthy meals that were still pleasing during the week. On the weekends she made things like burgers and such. They both worked out regularly so they didn't have to be angels all the time. "I also made brownies for dessert." She said with a grin, her guy was off. She could feel it. "He's only here for two days." She didn't hide from things, and she knew why Jason was tense.

"He left a couple hours ago." Jason pulled her closer and rested his cheek on the top her head.

"Oh, did he wrap up everything today and decide to leave?" Liz asked surprised.

"No, the plan was two days and then he screwed up so I threw him out." Jason let her know. "He won't be back, ever."

"Okay." Liz was thinking there was a story there but she wasn't going to press for it. That was business and she didn't need to have that information. Honestly she didn't want that information. "Then we don't need to think about him again which is a good thing."

"We can turn our attention to last details of the wedding." Jason was counting the days.

"And the honeymoon." Liz said bobbing her eyebrows up and down. "Which will be where?" He still wasn't giving her any details. She had to admit to being impressed with his ability to hold onto a secret.

"Pack bikinis. Really small bikinis." Jason said with a wicked grin. She was going to love Bora Bora. "Or don't, we'll have a private beach so you can feel free to run around naked if you want." He wouldn't complain.

"No tan lines to worry about." Liz said moving away to take the chicken out of the oven. "I like that." She figured they would be going somewhere tropical before his hint because she didn't like to be cold something he knew. "Grab some plates." She said putting the roasting pan on the stove. The chicken needed to rest.

Jason pulled her close and kissed her again. "I love you." He felt the need to tell her that.

"I love you too." Liz expected Sonny's visit to stir up bad memories for her guy. Honestly it made her a bit uneasy to know he was back in the city, but she trusted Kyle and everyone else to keep her safe. Even if she had bumped into Sonny she trusted that her guard would keep her safe. Still she was happy that the visit had been cut short. They could close the book on that chapter of their lives and move forward. "It's time to eat."

"I'll set the table." Jason gave her one more kiss before going to do just that.

* * *

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	16. Chapter 16

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

Not Safe For Work

* * *

Chapter 16

"You look stunning." Nadine told her friend. She was standing on Liz's left. "Easily the best dressed bride this season."

"I have to concur." Diane was standing on her friend's right and all three ladies were reflected in the mirror. "It's almost like that dress was made just for you." She said being cheeky.

Liz had to laugh. "I knew I was in trouble when we went through every boutique here, Crimson Pointe, Buffalo, Rochester, and I hadn't found a gown. Considering I was dead set on a December wedding I thought for sure I was going to have to settle for something I liked, but didn't love." Moving the wedding wasn't going to happen. Both she and Jason had already cleared their calendars for the honeymoon.

"Sometimes taking a risk is the best thing you can do." Diane had to pitch the idea of a custom made dress. Not because of the dress, but because of the designer. This was a high profile event and to go with someone who wasn't established was risky. However Diane had been having a love affair with Delores Padilla's fashions for almost a year now. The young designer was on the brink of breaking out and the attorney knew that she would create Liz something stunning.

"I actually cried at the first fitting with the gown." Liz said turning to look at the back. The dress was perfection. She had sat with the designer and described what she was seeking. Considering it wasn't anything over the top it was surprising that no gown had been picked already. Delores had made a few recommendations and promised a sketch within two weeks. Not only did she deliver on the picture, but she had nailed the look Liz was going for.

The dress didn't fit into any specific category. It borrowed from several styles that were popular with brides. It also had sleeves, which had been one of the main sticking points when shopping. Sleeves just weren't popular even though it was cold out.

The princess inspired garment had a slightly dropped waist, a fitted bodice, and three quarter length lace sleeves. Up the back was a row of tiny pearl buttons that covered a hidden zipper. The antique lace that created the sleeves was also used, in several layers, to create the flowing skirt. Delores had been the one to suggest going with ivory instead of white, something Liz readily agreed with.

"I'll be checking out Delores's boutique when we return from our honeymoon." Liz was facing front again, checking for flaws and finding none. She wasn't one to toot her own horn, but she had to agree with Nadine about looking stunning.

"I went last week and picked up a few really nice dresses." Nadine said by way of encouragement.

"You'll do great." Liz put her arm around her friend in support.

"Today is about you." Nadine hadn't brought up her shopping trip in an attempt to steal the spotlight.

"I know." Liz had to laugh saying that. "Trust me everyone out there knows that today is about Jason and I getting married. That doesn't mean there isn't space for you too." With Jason being away Johnny was going to a business dinner, and taking Nadine. It was the nurse practitioner's first time meeting anyone outside of Port Charles. "Lorenzo and Skye are both really nice. She used to live here so you guys can chat about the city." Skye at one point thought she was a Quartermaine, but that turned out not to be the case. However her time in New York wasn't a total loss because she met her now husband who used to control Crimson Pointe. Maximus moved Lorenzo to avoid a war with Sonny. The South American businessman did like Jason though, so recently an alliance had been struck.

"During your down time you and Johnny can elope if you like." Diane said with a grin. The meeting was taking place in Vegas.

"I'm not getting married by Elvis." Nadine said shaking her head.

"They have very lovely chapels there as well." Diane said playing devil's advocate.

"We are not eloping. Johnny's mother would kill him. Plus we aren't even engaged." Nadine pointed out. She had met Kathleen O'Brien, and the two women had gotten on like a house on fire, which was how Johnny described them. "I want to have the chance to show off my ring, like Liz did."

"That's right." Liz said with a nod. Christmas was in a week, and she was betting Johnny was going to give his girlfriend something sparkly that went on a certain finger.

A knock sounded and Nadine opened the door. "Hi sweetie."

"Hi dad." Liz had been thrilled that her parents could fly in for the wedding. Having her dad give her away was a childhood dream. They had been here for a week and Carolyn had helped with all the last minute details. Steven and Sarah were also in attendance which was really nice. She enjoyed catching up with everyone because visits were far and few between.

"The planner said it's time for us to line up." Jeff had started putting together travel plans this summer when Liz got in touch about the engagement. There was no way they were missing this. Carolyn felt the same way. "The other ladies are already waiting."

"That's my cue." Nadine was Liz's maid of honor. There were four ladies in the party all together. Diane was slated to be in the bridal party but a broken ankle had sidelined her. Instead the attorney was doing a reading.

"You look beautiful." Jeff told his youngest daughter. He and Carolyn had been in Africa since Elizabeth was fifteen, so he had missed out on a lot of her life. Still he did his best to stay in touch. Technology had come so far and it helped them become closer in the past few years.

"Thanks Dad." Liz put her arm through his. "I'm glad you could be here today." She said trying not to cry.

"Me too." Jeff gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Let's go line up. There is a young man who is waiting anxiously to see you." He liked Jason. His daughter had made a wonderful choice.

"I'm anxious to see him as well." Liz said smiling wide. It felt like this day wasn't ever going to come. They walked out of the bridal room and took their place with the rest of the party.

* * *

Jason looked down at his watch for what felt like the millionth time. There was no way it wasn't time for the wedding to start. It felt like he had been standing in this one spot for half of his life. Which wasn't true because the planner had only told him to come out from the room he got changed in five minutes ago. She mentioned that the ladies were lined up and ready to come in which meant the ceremony was about to start, so he just needed to relax.

"Take a deep breath." Francis had won the poker game the guys played to determine who was going to be the best man. They didn't think it was fair to make Jason pick between them so they worked it out themselves after he gave his approval. "We're going to be starting shortly."

"I'm kind of anxious." Jason said with a boyish grin. Last night he was convinced something would happen to stop the wedding. He didn't even have Liz to talk to about that because she was staying with Francis and Diane. If his girl wasn't spending the night at home he wanted her there.

"That's better than feeling the need to flee." Johnny joked from his spot behind Francis. They had seen more than one wedding in this city where either the bride or the groom was a no show. "Being anxious means that you are excited and made the right choice."

Jason looked at the door and then scanned those gathered. Security was as tight as they could make it, but it was habit. There were a good number of his friends from the mob to support him. There were people from the hospital and the clinic to support Elizabeth. She had family here, and surprisingly so did he. Edward was sitting in a pew and had wished them both well actually meaning it. Jason and Monica were still not on speaking terms, so she hadn't been invited to the ceremony.

The organist began the processional music and Jason's eyes locked on the door again.

* * *

The bridal party came down the aisle first. Elizabeth had looked to the season for inspiration when dressing the ladies and put them in red. Johnny had to grin when Nadine came into view. He liked her in the lace and chiffon floor length gown. She had a bit of sparkle because Liz gifted her friends' diamond stud earrings, and a diamond bracelet each. He was thinking that the engagement ring he picked out would go well with those pieces.

She looked his way and he dropped her a wink which made her smile. Helping with the wedding prep had really made him look forward to the day that he could say that Nadine was his wife. He was hoping that before next year ended that would be the case.

* * *

When Nadine was in her spot the music changed and the double doors that had been closed opened again. Elizabeth appeared on the arm of her father and Jason actually lost his breath at how beautiful she looked. Actually beautiful didn't seem to be adequate to describe how she looked. He wasn't sure he had the words to do her justice.

The closer she came the wider his smile got. When she was standing in front of him he had to force himself to look over at Jeff. The two men shook hands before the doctor hugged Elizabeth. Then Jason was holding her hand in his and they were turning to face the priest to begin the ceremony.

* * *

"You've been smiling all night." Jason said before kissing her knuckles. They were in the back of the limo having just left the reception.

"That's because I'm happy. I'm Elizabeth Morgan." She couldn't help but get a thrill at that. "I'm also smiling because you are so sexy in your tuxedo. I might need for you to wear that in the house."

"You don't want me to take you out in my tux?" Jason wanted to know.

"Nope." Liz slid across the seat closing the small space between them. "I've been suffering all night having to watch you be so sexy. If you wear the tux in the house then I don't have to restrain myself when it comes to ripping it off you." She finished her declaration with a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

"I may have looked calm and collected but nothing could be further from the truth." Jason moved her so that she was on his lap. Where his wife would get a hint about how she affected him. He'd been hard for most of the reception which was only one of the reasons he stayed at the table after their first dance. The other was that when they were at the table he didn't have to share Elizabeth. "I lost my breath when you were coming down the aisle, and I've been trying to get my balance back ever since."

"I know the feeling." Liz leaned into him as her lips met his. She'd been ready to leave the reception once they finished dancing, but they had other duties to perform. So many folks had come to wish them well and they couldn't just run out on them. They stayed for two hours and then they snuck out.

The limo rolled to a stop and Jason ended the kiss. "We're at the hotel." Edward gifted the honeymoon suite to them since the Morgans had requested charitable donations in lieu of gifts.

"Good. I'm almost at the end of my restraint." Liz said kissing the base of throat which was exposed because his shirt was open. Him ditching his tie had upped his sexy factor tenfold. "Do we need to check in?"

"No. Edward gave me the key when we were talking at the reception." Jason said as the door was opened. He stepped out and then helped his wife from the vehicle. Hotel security was already out front to make sure no one bothered them. Photographers had been buzzing about since yesterday when the guests started arriving.

They ignored everyone as they headed for the elevator one of Jason's guys was holding open. Not being alone in the lift made them behave. At the door of their suite Jason scooped Elizabeth up and carried her over the threshold kicking the door shut with his foot. "How do I get you out of your gown?" Jason wanted to know as they were standing beside the bed.

"Hidden zipper." Liz turned her back to him. "I was thinking ahead."

"I like that you are an excellent planner." Jason told her lowering the metal closure. "I also love that you aren't wearing a bra."

"Built in support." Liz turned to face him and let the gown slide down to her hips. She pushed it down the rest of the way and stepped out of the material. "You are overdressed."

"I am." He said in agreement. Not taking his eyes off her he pushed his jacket off. Since Elizabeth was unbuttoning his shirt, kissing all the skin that came into view as she did, he worked on opening his belt and pants. He kicked off his shoes and kicked his trousers away. They were both standing there in their underwear and for a moment neither one of them moved. He was struck by the thought that he was about to make love for the first time with his wife.

"You're my husband." Liz said proving that her thoughts were echoing his. "It felt like this day wasn't ever going to come, and now it's here. I'm happier than I've ever been in my life and I know that this is just the start."

"It is just the start. I can't wait to see where life takes us." Jason said placing a hand on her hip and urging her closer. The feel of her soft skin against his had him moaning low. "I love you baby."

"I love you too." Liz said before Jason's mouth took hers in a sensual kiss. His hands moved over her back and she shivered under his touch. Her own hands were exploring as well. She loved the way the muscles jumped under her fingers. He pulled her closer until there was no space left between him and this time she moaned as the warmth of his body sank into hers.

She was still too far away although they were touching down their entire bodies. He put his hand under her bottom lifting her off her feet so that Elizabeth could wrap her legs around his waist. Taking a few steps forward he was at the bed and gently laid her down coming over her. His mouth moved from hers placing a kiss on the small dent in her chin before letting his lips brush across the skin of her neck. He took a hardened nipple in his mouth and when her fingers tightened in his hair he moaned again.

When Jason put his mouth on her body it never failed to leave her decimated. He was sucking on her nipple and she swore that she could feel it in every cell of her body. He switched to her other breasts and she arched hard as Elizabeth gave a whimper at how amazing it felt. He lifted his mouth and she hissed softly because he was blowing across the wet flesh making it tighten further.

He loved all the sounds Elizabeth made when they were in bed together. Knowing that she was enjoying herself made him want to give her more pleasure each time they came together. He kissed her toned tummy and moved to the place between her thighs. "As we were eating our wedding cake, all I could think that was that the only sweet thing I wanted on my tongue was you." He said his eyes locked onto hers that were so dark they looked black. She bit her lip and he couldn't help the wicked grin that came to his face.

"Lift your hips." He said placing his hands on the sides of her thong, it was in the way and it needed to go. He tossed the material over his shoulder before leaning in for that taste he had been craving all night.

Elizabeth screamed as he finally pushed her up and over into pleasure. The man knew just what to do to make her lose her mind, and he had deliberately held back until she was shaking and begging. Now she was lying here decimated trying to catch her breath so that she could give him some attention as well. She was not a selfish lover.

"Feel good?" Jason asked coming over her with a satisfied grin. The beautiful flush on her skin gave him his answer.

"Amazing. Ready for your turn?" Liz asked letting her hand move down his body. Wrapping her hand around his engorged shaft and stroked. He closed his eyes just enjoying her touch for the moment.

"I don't have enough restraint for that." Jason said finding the strength to move her hand. He linked their fingers and brought her hand over her head so he could have some leverage to stroke. "I need to be inside you." He was starting to hurt.

"Come to me then." Liz said cupping his cheek. "Fill me up."

He pushed inside her, coming home. With her he would always be home. When he was as deep as he could get he pulled back before stroking forward again. Over and over again he moved inside her giving them as much pleasure and joy as possible. There was something about knowing that his wife's body was holding his so tight made everything that much more intense. He felt her peak again and let himself follow. Filling her with everything he had.

They cuddled up and let their bodies cool. In a bit he would call down for a light snack and something to drink. Neither one of them had eaten much at the reception. In the morning they were leaving for their honeymoon and he would have her all to himself for two weeks. They would celebrate Christmas away, but be back home to celebrate the New Year with their friends.

"I love you." Jason said pulling her close so that she could rest her head on his shoulders.

"I love you too." Elizabeth kissed his shoulder before settling in. "I'm so happy." She said with a smile. She was right where she wanted to be.

"Me too baby. Me too." Jason pulled her closer enjoying the beginning of the next phase of his life.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews!


	17. Chapter 17

ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Epilogue

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la. La la la la." Liz sang along with the radio as she decorated the Christmas tree. It was their second wedding anniversary and she was looking forward to exchanging gifts with the tree in the background. Last night they had gone out to get the massive Douglas fir that was in the living room, and the sorry little specimen that was in their bedroom. She just couldn't leave it on the lot. Jason only smirked a little as he put it in the back of the SUV. He said strapping it to the top of the car would be a death sentence.

She wanted the tree up to get into the holiday spirit. Last week they had gotten word that Sonny had been killed by the head of another family. She had felt that decorating then would be disrespectful so they postponed everything. She had found forgiveness, enough that she went to church and lit a candle that he would be at peace.

Jason wasn't surprised this happened, Sonny had started causing problems almost immediately after Maximus moved him from Calabria to Umbria. The downsize to a smaller territory was a punishment for what happened during his visit to Port Charles. Once it was clear that the Cuban mob boss was still taking his medication the Don opted to stay out of the dust up. As long as a full on war didn't break out he was content to give the families time to work out things themselves. What ended up happening was Sonny learning that he messed with the wrong person. His final lesson was a bullet to the brain.

"The tree looks good." Jason was standing in the doorway waiting for her to come down from the stepladder. "I would have helped decorate." His job was the top of the tree because it was hard for her to reach.

"I wanted it to be done when you got home." Liz wanted to surprise him. Last year they had decorated together, and they could do so again next year.

"You just didn't want to argue over where to place the ornaments." He replied before giving her a kiss. He had enjoyed the playful bantering. His girl took her tree decorating very seriously.

"That's half the fun when it comes to decorating." Liz leaned up and gave him another kiss.

"Where are the paperchains?" Jason wanted to know. They had made some last year. He wasn't an arts and crafts kind of person, but it had been fun.

"They were going on next. The Father Christmas topper still needs to go on the tree as well." Liz had still gotten a lot done. If her guy didn't come home early she probably would have completed the job. She would take having him home before expected over a finished tree any day of the week.

"We can do that together." Jason said putting an arm around her waist and urging her closer.

"We can. We also have more mistletoe to hang. I went out today and picked up more." She said with a grin. "There was too much space between the sprigs we got last night."

"That's funny because I have more mistletoe in the car. I was going to put it up when you were sleeping." Jason admitted enjoying having his wife in his arms. The past two years had been the best of his life. He was looking forward to many more years together.

"You can still do that. I would love to be surprised with a kiss." Liz let him know. "I'll start dinner."

"No." Jason just tightened his arms. "I want my gift first. We eat breakfast before opening our Christmas presents, I don't mind that. However anniversaries don't need to follow that rule." He said with a boyish grin. "Last year we had dinner out, and I had to wait until the end of the night to get my gift. This year I'm impatient." He wanted his gift now because he was pretty sure he already knew what it was, and he was tired of waiting.

"Okay." Liz only wanted to eat first because she was positive that she was going to be a blubbering mess after he opened his present. She was also pretty sure neither one of them was going to be interested in food for a while after the gifts were exchanged.

"I'm going first. Wait here." Jason let his wife go so that he could go to his office and get the box. He passed by her gift from last year. A painting of Grandmother's roses. It made Jason feel relaxed whenever he looked at it. Edward had tried to bribe Elizabeth into letting him have it while she was sitting in the garden painting it. This Christmas he was getting one of his own. "Happy anniversary." Jason said handing the gift bag over.

"Thank you." Liz didn't need much, but she loved getting gifts from her guy. He always put a lot of thought into them. Since their anniversary was so close to Christmas they had a one gift limit, which she had stuck to even though she had two boxes for him.

Jason grinned waiting for Elizabeth to open the gift. He loved shopping for his wife. She was the only person in his life he could say that for. He found himself looking forward to any occasion where he could buy something for her.

"Oh." Liz didn't even have to take the lid off the box to know what was inside. The ornate gold lettering told her what the heavy for its size package contained. She opened it anyway and ran a gentle finger over the pen that was part of the top of the line calligraphy set. It was a new interest of hers and Jason was giving her his support to pursue it. As always. "Thank you. I had my eye on this for after the holidays." It was pricey and just because they had money in the bank didn't mean she spent money without thinking about it. After the holiday the set in her hands would be on sale.

"I know." Jason said with a boyish grin. "I thought you might like to do the thank you cards with this." Every year she sent them out to show appreciation for the gifts she got. This was a practice she'd exercised since he knew her. The only other person he knew who did that had been Lila.

"We'll see how good I am when the time comes. I might just stick to addressing the envelopes." Liz would indeed be practicing tomorrow. "Okay now you." Her gifts were stashed behind the tree and she got them. "Happy anniversary."

"Two gifts?" Jason asked surprised.

"Only one is just for you." Liz said as the butterflies in her tummy took flight. "The other one is a joint gift." She explained with a smile.

"Which one is just mine?" He would open that first because of the fact that he was ninety eight percent positive that he knew what the joint gift was.

"The top box." Liz said telling herself to relax.

Jason untied the blue string and took the lid off the box. He grinned when he saw what was inside. His wife spoiled him. He knew that. She made sure he got to enjoy the things he liked. He was a big sports fan with college football being his favorite. "Thank you baby." She had gotten him a private box so he could watch the upcoming College Football National Championship game live. He, and the rest of the crew, could fly in and have a great time.

"I told the rest of the guys so they could clear their calendars." Liz knew who he was going to take with him. "Also so that security could be arranged." With it being such a public space that had to be taken into consideration.

Jason leaned forward and gave her a kiss. "You spoil me." He gave voice to what he had just been thinking.

"I try." Liz wanted him to have everything he wanted. "Open the second gift." She bit her lower lip and then made herself stop.

Jason picked up the box that was long and slim. His eyes looked into hers before pulling the ribbon. As he removed the lid a wide, bright smile came across his face. He was man who paid attention, no one got more of his focus than the woman in the room with him. The changes that gave away the secret had been subtle but he picked on them. The fact that he guessed before the official announcement didn't lessen his joy at all. "We're pregnant."

"Yes." Liz said trying to blink back tears and then giving up. They had been trying for a few months now. She had been thrilled when the test came back positive. "You guessed." That he did wasn't very surprising. It was hard to get things past him.

"I did. You're two weeks late." Jason put the test down and closed the space between them as he told her what gave it away. "You're never late. So I started to suspect you might be pregnant. I also noticed that your breasts are really sensitive now." He said feeling his eyes burn. He needed her in his arms. "How far along are we?"

"Four weeks." Liz said leaning into him. "Kelly confirmed the pregnancy and did an exam for me at her clinic after we had a follow up meeting on a couple of patients. I also made an appointment for our first official visit in eight weeks. I'll send you the date." The two medical centers worked hand in hand quite a bit. The women's clinic wasn't a free clinic like where Liz worked, it was in fact a state of the art health care and birthing center. Still Kelly never turned anyone away. If you needed treatment she made sure you got it. "She said we are both doing well."

"So next summer we're going to be parents." Jason placed a hand over her stomach were their child was growing.

"Yeah." Liz said quietly. Their lives were going to chance again, but they were ready. They were taking it one child at a time, but in her heart she wanted three children. This was the beginning of that dream coming true. "I know the goal is a healthy baby, but do you want a girl or a boy?" He was going to love their child no matter what but dreaming a little didn't hurt anything.

"I have no idea." He admitted urging her closer still. Not being able to imagine was hindering things a bit. "I can admit that having a daughter terrifies me some." He said laughing. "I'm up to that challenge, mainly because I employ a lot of really big guys."

That just made Liz laugh. "You can't lock her in the house."

"I know, but I can scare the crap of anyone who acts stupid." Jason was dead serious about that. "If we have a little girl I want her to look like you."

"With one exception. I want our children to have your eye color." Liz settled against him again.

"When can we tell everyone?" He was excited to share this news.

"After the first appointment." Liz wondered how hard it was going to be to keep this secret. "I'll have to miss the trip to Palermo." Jason would go to have a meeting with Maximus. The date wasn't set yet but it generally happened in either late August or early September. That was right around the time she was due.

"I'll send Johnny or Francis this year. Probably Francis because Margareta likes shopping with Diane." Jason told Elizabeth. He wouldn't want to be away from his wife at that point. "Trust me Maximus will understand." They sat in silence for a few moment. "We're going to be parents." Awareness was coming in waves.

"We are." Liz let the joy fill her up. "Merry Christmas Jason."

"Merry Christmas baby." Jason held her close and said a prayer of gratitude for his wonderful life.

* * *

"You didn't have to get up." Liz told her husband as she lifted their daughter out of the crib. "She's going to go back to sleep after eating."

"I don't mind getting up." Jason said taking the little girl and walking over to the changing table. "You two are my favorite people to hang out with." His two girls were the center of his entire world. Being a husband and dad was everything.

Liz just smiled watching her guy with their daughter. Jason was a very hands on dad. Since Emilia arrived three months prior he had been everything Elizabeth needed in a partner. That wasn't at all surprising because he had been the same throughout the pregnancy which had been textbook. "How about if we go back into the bedroom?" Most nighttime feedings took place in the nursery.

"Can we set up the co-sleeper?" Jason asked with a boyish grin. Their daughter spent most nights sleeping in her room. When they first came home from the hospital she spent the first month in her crib in the master suite because that made them both more comfortable. That first night she was away from them he spent most of the night checking the monitor.

"Sure." Liz said trying not to laugh at the grin on his face. "Come on." They headed up the hall and she got settled on the bed. Once her shirt was open Jason handed their daughter over. Liz got the baby latched on then watched while her husband set up the co-sleeper. When that was done he sat behind her allowing her to lean on him for support.

The entire pregnancy had left Jason in awe. Elizabeth had handled the changes to her body, and the exhaustion, with grace. He knew there were times that she was uncomfortable but she didn't complain telling him that she wanted this as much as he did. Labor had been downright terrifying though. The amount of pain his wife endured to bring their daughter into the world was not something Jason would ever forget.

Now sitting here and watching Elizabeth feed Emilia he was struck with another wave of awe. "She's a good eater."

"She is." Liz said rubbing her daughter's back. "It took some work but we figured it out." They also used bottles so that Jason could bond with his daughter during feedings. "Are you looking forward to showing her Italy?" They were leaving in the morning for a month in the country. It was a mix of work and vacation.

"I am. I'm a little nervous about traveling with Emilia but I don't want to be away from her either." Jason hadn't been out of town since the birth. The meeting would be at the end of the trip and would signify the end of his family leave. Elizabeth had decided to stay home with their daughter, and future children. She was going to keep up her certification. A return to the clinic was planned for when their family was complete and the kids were all in school. He would never have asked that of her, but Elizabeth said she wanted to.

"Dr. Lambert said it should be fine." Liz had indeed checked with their pediatrician before booking the trip. "I'm looking forward to showing her as much of the world as we can. Her and her siblings." It was going to take a couple of years before he was ready for another baby, labor had almost done him in.

"Me too. Watching you explore makes me happy and I know it will be the same with her." Jason took the baby and burped her before giving her back to mom. Emilia was named for Emily and Lila. He also liked that her name started with the same letter as her mom's. When the baby was finished he got her settled into the co-sleeper, and they spooned up facing their child. "I love you, both of you." He told them both that every day.

"We love you too." Liz said snuggling close. Her life was amazing and she was grateful every day for it.

* * *

I'm so glad you guys came along on this short Liason trip. I had a lot of fun writing this one, and I got to work on my short stories. I am currently writing more stories, which I'm hoping to be able to post soon. I also have more of CAWM planned for this spring and summer.

Until then, be well!

Thanks for the reviews, follows, favorites, and continued support!


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